


Fast Friends

by alphaclone



Series: Fast Friends [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Romance, Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2018-04-12 00:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 158,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4458542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphaclone/pseuds/alphaclone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca has an epiphany during a trip with the bellas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Lift Off is Scary"

**Author's Note:**

> So I woke up this morning and decided to write a Bechloe ff because Brittany Snow was confirmed for PP3 and this is the result. Also I like parallels.. like a lot. So be prepared. I know the only downside to reading femslash is not knowing which "she" the author is talking about so bare with me please. If you get confused, just keep reading and I'm sure it'll become clear which "she" it is I'm talking about. This is my first time writing a fic so feedback would be great. Also flashbacks, thoughts are all italicized. Songs are bolded. So enjoy~ Seriously please enjoy this, I put myself out there for y'all so be nice. I do not own Pitch Perfect. Thanks for reading!

"Here comes the sun do do do do."

Beca frowns, her eyes are still closed. She could feel the heat of Chloe's breath on her face. She has coffee breath.

"Here comes the sun and I say, it's alright."

Chloe sings softly to Beca as they wait for their flight. After the bellas graduated, they collectively decided to go on a vacation together to start their adult lives on the right foot, to have one last adventure together before the real world comes around and knocks them on their asses.

She peeked through one eye to find Chloe beaming at her with those bright blue eyes from beside her, and she could swear her heart stopped at the sight. Beca couldn't help the smirk that slowly crept up on her face.

"Little darlin', it's been a long cold lone-" Chloe's singing was cut short when one of Beca's arms snaked to the back of her neck to pull her closer.

There was a split second where the thought had flashed in Chloe’s mind. _Holy shit is she trying to kiss me?_ Her heart stopped for a millisecond. Her eyes went wide but all thoughts stopped when Beca's other hand went to cover her mouth.

"Shhhh. I'm sleeping here, Beale." Beca managed to croak out in a raspy voice. Chloe swatted Beca's hand off of her mouth as the other hand that was holding her neck dropped to rest between them.

She instantly longed for the touch again.

"First of all, rude." Beca let out a soft chuckle as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Second, you've been asleep for almost two and a half hours and I need someone to talk to. Everyone went to the gift shop like an hour ago and I'm getting bored, you know how human contact is essential to my well being."

"First of all," Beca said mimicking Chloe "Your fault for wanting to get an early flight. I mean, do you know me at all? Beca Mitchell does **not** wake up before 10 am! I don't even know if this is real right now. Are you even real? You don't look like it." She poked Chloe's ribs causing the redhead to giggle. They smiled at each other for a second before she began again. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to Jesse." _Right. Jesse. The boyfriend. Of course. How could I forget?_ At this, Chloe lost her smile. "And second, why didn't you just go with them?" Beca asked, confused at the obvious choice Chloe had could've taken.

"Umm. Oh, I don't know maybe because I don't want you to get kidnapped by some creepy rapist?!" Chloe huffed out, breathing a little harder than before. Beca couldn't help but laugh at how dramatic she was being.

"Oh my God, I'm not a baby, you could've went with them. I would've been fine."

"I know but, I don't know. I didn't wanna leave you. Here I got you a coffee." _I didn't wanna leave you._ Beca bounced the words around her head for a little before dismissing it. She looked down to see two Starbucks cups, one in Chloe's hand and the other tucked in the fold of the leg that she was resting on the seat.

"Thanks, beb." She said taking the coffee from Chloe. That was her pet name for Chloe whenever she had something to offer her. Chloe loved it of course.

 

* * *

__

_"Thanks, beb." Beca said taking the chinese take-out from Chloe's hands. Beca's hands brushed Chloe's oh so softly as she took the box. Chloe's heart skipped a beat and so did Beca's, but neither showed it._

_"Beb?" She asked smirking, trying to shake off the feeling in her chest._

_"Yeah like you know, 'babe' but like a short, lazy version?"_

_"So I'm a babe then?" She asked winking that famous Chloe Beale wink. It made Beca weak._

_"Yeah a short.. lazy version?-Don't make it weird! It's not a thing." But it was a thing. And oh was it a big thing._

_"Says the actual shortest, laziest adult I have ever met!" She chuckled out throwing her hands up before walking off to the couch to watch The Voice as a defeated Beca followed._

 

* * *

 

"What time is it?" Beca asked, wincing as the coffee burned her tongue. Nodding and throwing up an 'okay' sign at Chloe for getting her coffee right. They both knew how the other liked their coffee, of course they did.

"It is..." Chloe quickly pulled her phone out of her back pocket to check the time. "9:37 am." She looked up from her phone to meet Beca's tired, dark blue eyes. Her breath hitched before she put on another dazzling smile.

"How much longer?" Beca whined, closing her eyes, frowning and slumping her shoulders for dramatic effect.

"Around another hour, I think? Come on, stop whining you know this is going to be fun." Chloe offered bouncing a little in her seat.

Another smirk threatened to appear on Beca's face before they heard the rest of The Bellas making their way to them. Amy being the first to speak up.

"Hey, rise and shine short stack! You've been knocked out since you sat down. Reminds me of that time I punched that one-"

"Oh my God, you talk way too damn much, please,  please shut up." Stacie threw her hands up as she walked forward, dropping into the seat next to Beca.

"Well excuse me for trying to make things a little more interesting around here." Amy dramatically scoffed.The look on Amy's face causing Beca and Chloe to laugh. She clearly loved annoying Stacie as much as she could, it's what made their dynamic so great, the bantering was constant and hilarious to witness. "I'm going to go call my bae now because I have one, you know unlike some people, ahem Stacie ahem."

"Oh my God, you did not just say 'bae', I'm going to kill you someday you can bet your bottom dollar on it." Stacie said propping her elbow on an armrest and resting her head in her hand.

"Fight me, bitch!" Amy yelled spreading her arms wide lunging forwards at Stacie a couple times trying to make her flinch, attracting a few onlookers in the process. Stacie only closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.

"Amy, you're gonna get us kicked out! Shut the fuck up!" Cynthia Rose hissed. Amy just shrugged it off before smiling and walking off. "Fucking white people are crazy." She said to herself.

"I know right. If that happened in my country, they would have shot us before you can say 'a capella'." Offered Flo. Lilly smiled at this.

 

* * *

 

 **  
** Another hour and twenty minutes passed before they finally boarded their plane. The Bellas managed to take up an entire row. Beca gave Chloe the window seat, of course she did. And Flo sat with them. The next three seats consisted of Cynthia Rose, Fat Amy and Stacie. The last three with Lilly, Ashley and Jessica.

Chloe held tightly onto Beca's left arm nuzzling into her shoulder as the plane started down the runway.

"You wanted the window seat, so why are your eyes closed?" Beca softly asked placing her free hand on Chloe's.

"Because Beca." She squeezed Beca's arm a little tighter as the plane lifted off. Beca waited patiently for her answer. It wasn't until the plane was a little more level when Chloe finally spoke up again. "Because Beca, I like to look out the window once we're up here but.. lift off is scary okay?" She huffed as she looked up into Beca's sympathetic eyes and her breath hitched. Beca offered a soft smile before patting Chloe's hand.

"Okay. You're okay." She whispered as she pulled out her ipod, turning it on.

"I know." Chloe took a second to think about that. How she knew she was okay. How Beca made everything okay. How she knows she'll be okay as long as Beca was there with her. How they could be okay together forever if they wanted.

"Here." Chloe was brought back to reality as Beca whispered closely. She looked down to see the single earbud that Beca was offering and gladly popped it into her ear before snuggling back into Beca's side again. She closed her eyes as the soft melody began to flow through her ear drum.

**From walking home and talking loads**   
**To seeing shows in evening clothes with you**   
**From nervous touch and getting drunk**   
**To staying up and waking up with you**

**But now we're sleeping at the edge**   
**Holding something we don't need**   
**All this delusion in our heads**   
**Is gonna bring us to our knees**

**So come on let it go**   
**Just let it be**   
**Why don't you be you**   
**And I'll be me**

With that, she was asleep. Beca smiled down at Chloe on her shoulder before looking over to the rest of The Bellas. Smiling contentedly as she saw Flo trying to sleep with her own headphones in, Cynthia Rose, Stacie and Fat Amy in an obviously heated discussion, and Lilly sitting quietly smiling to herself as Jessica and Ashley were playing patty cake impressively fast. She looked down at Chloe one more time before kissing the top of her head, noting to herself to remember to ask what shampoo Chloe was using because she always smelled like peaches, before resting her head on Chloe's and closing her eyes and sighing.

"Rome, here we come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know that was really short but I had to get it out of my head as fast as possible. I'm sorry if it wasn't that good. The chapters will get longer and more interesting I promise!  
> Songs:  
> The Beatles : Here Comes The Sun  
> James Bay : Let It Go


	2. "Just For Tonight"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's Chapter 2..

Chloe stood alone at the baggage claim waiting for Beca to come back from her phone call. She rubbed her arms as she turned around to check if Beca was done talking to Jesse. She wasn't. They had arrived in Rome around 2 am and they were all exhausted from the flight. Another hour had already passed as they were waiting for their luggage. The rest of The bellas had already gotten theirs and had gone off to find food and Chloe was waiting for her last bag.

"So how is it?" Jesse's voice was a little too enthusiastic for Beca right now.

"It's fine I think. I don't know Jess, we're still in the airport."

"Oh well, remember to take lots of pictures for me okay?"

"Yes da-"

"Oh my God no! You were just about to call me daddy!"

"I was going to say dad not daddy. I'm sorry-"

"That's still disgusting, Becs."

"I know! I know. Fuck! What the fuck? Cause you know people always say mom in those sit-"

"I know but Becs I mean.. ugh. What the fuck."

"Oh my god that word is ruined for me."

"It's ruined for me too! Jesus Christ. Fucking tumblr." They stopped to laugh a little. Beca looked over to Chloe to see her rubbing her arms. _Is she cold? What the fuck? It's summer. In Rome. And she's cold?_

"Our kids are going to call me vader. It's settled."

_Whoa whoa .. **kids**?! **Our** kids?! I don't remember mentioning that word.. like **ever**._

She decided to drop the subject fast.

"Hey Jess, I'm gonna go. The last bag just got here and I really want some food so I'll call you tomorrow okay?"

"Alright. Promise you won't have too much fun without me?"

"Nope."

"Okay. That's fine I guess. I mean what am I gonna do about it right?"

"Exactly." Beca managed to chuckle out.

"Alright well I'll talk to you later then. LOVE YOU BABE!" He screamed into the phone making sure everyone could hear. Beca winced at the phone pulling it away from her ear. She didn't want to risk Jesse screaming in her ear again so she quickly ended the call.

"Mhm yeah bye."

"You're supposed to sa-" She hung up. _Whoops_. It's not that she didn't love Jesse, of course she did. He was her best guy friend **and** her boyfriend. What more could a girl want in a guy?.. Right? But of course she felt bad so she texted a quick 'love ya' to him and then made her way to Chloe.

"Stupid baggage claim. Taking forever. I have places to be goddamnit!" Chloe muttered to herself.

She jumped a little when Beca came up from behind, touching her arm.

"Hey sorry, are you cold?" Chloe didn't have the heart to tell her that she wasn't cold because she knew that Beca was going to offer her sweater. She had been rubbing her arms because it gave her something to do while she waited alone. Plus, she had been using a new lotion that made her skin really fucking soft and made her smell like peaches, and she just couldn't help from touching herself. Not like that.

_Of course she's going to offer me her sweater. Of course she is!_

She nodded biting her lip.

"Here take my sweater. You see your bag yet?" Beca asked as she took off her backpack and sweater.

_What did I say? What did I just say?! You saw that right God? Jesus? Buddha? Allah? Anyone? Beca Mitchell, always chivalrous as fuck. I'm so whipped._

Taking the sweater she looked up just in time to see her last luggage fall onto the belt.

"Oh there it is!" She beamed as she put an arm through Beca's sweater.

"I got it." Before Chloe could respond, Beca was already pulling the luggage off the belt, letting it fall to the floor.

_This sweater smells like vanilla. Nice._

"Here. Lets go." Beca offered the handle of the luggage to Chloe, smiling before putting on her backpack and grabbing the handle of her own luggage again.

 

* * *

 

They arrived at the hotel a little before 5 am after eating at the airport. As Beca checked in, the girls started to discuss sleeping arrangements.

"Okay, here's how it's going down. Beca and Chloe are bunking together obviously." At this all of The Bellas nodded except Chloe.

"Yes. Yes."

"Duh."

"Of course!"

"Wait what?" Chloe asked. They all looked at her with sympathetic smiles before brushing her off.

"Flo and I will bunk together, CR and Amy are together, and Jessica and Ashley, you guys are going to have to bunk in the same bed so Lilly won't be alone. Is that okay?" Stacie asked.

"Yeah it's cool." They answered in sync. Lilly whispered something but no one picked it up.

"Wait, what do you mean 'obviously'? I could bunk with anyone here."

"Honey. Shut up this is for your own good. Stop being stupid. Just trust us." Everyone nodded as Stacie rubbed Chloe's shoulder.

"Alright here guys. 428, 432 and 446." Beca returned with four key cards passing them out to the girls. "We are in 722. I'm damn tired so I'm going to bed like right now. Come on, Chlo." She grabbed Chloe's hand on instinct as she turned to walk. Before Chloe could follow, Stacie shot her a wink and a smile. Confused as she was being led away, she looked to the rest of The bellas, each shooting her their own mischievous looks. Cynthia Rose was biting her lips and nodding with her eyebrows wiggling up and down. Fat Amy was pelvic thrusting into the air and throwing up an 'okay' sign. Jessica, Ashley, Flo and Lilly were all stupidly grinning at her. She shook her head before turning fully around to follow Beca. Looking down at their interlocked fingers, she couldn't help but smile to herself.

 

* * *

 

Beca unlocked the door before letting Chloe in first. She smiled at Beca as she walked into the room before running Beca's foot over with her luggage.

"Ow!" Beca yelled before pulling her foot back quickly.

"Oh shit sorry! Are you okay?" Chloe was panicking just a little. Beca only chuckled.

"Hurry up and get in there I'm tired. It's fine. You're fine." With that Chloe quickly shuffled in flipping the light switch. She dropped all her things to the floor before placing her hands on her hips and sighing contentedly. She smiled at the two queen sized beds, one in the immediate room and the other off in the distance, technically in another room entirely considering its lifted a level. She dropped herself onto the couch between the two beds and propped her feet onto the coffee table, looking ahead at the little kitchen.

"Nice right?" Beca asked locking the door and walking over to the far bed.

"Very. I didn't think it would be this big."

"Don't tell the others." She swung her luggage onto her bed before pulling out her toothbrush, toothpaste, a t-shirt and spandex boy shorts out. Chloe sat up at this.

"Don't tell them what?"

"That our room is the biggest."

"Our rooms aren't the same size?" Beca scoffed.

"They all got twin sized beds." Beca said smiling as she walked over and locked herself in the bathroom. It was Chloe's turn to scoff.

* * *

 

Beca came out of the bathroom with her hair in a towel, wearing an over sized t-shirt that had in giant letters 'STFU' on the front. Her black spandex shorts barely peeking out from under her shirt.

"Hey if they're all sleeping in twin sized beds, will Jessica and Ashley be okay sleeping together?" They thought about it for a second before laughing at the question.

"Yeah, no they'll be fine." Beca dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand as Chloe got up to use the restroom.

* * *

Beca was already in bed on her phone when Chloe came out in a cami tank top and boxer shorts, her wet hair messily flowing down to her shoulders. Beca looked up from her phone to see the red hair doing very a shit job of covering Chloe's toned back. Her eyes lingered a little too long for it to be a friendly gaze.

"I'm so fucked." she whispered to herself, still staring at Chloe's shoulder blades she could see the water dripping from Chloe's red locks onto them, glistening in the warm light.

"What?"

"Nothing just.. something I read." She glanced back at her phone again before looking up to meet Chloe's eyes. _Fuck those eyes. Those beautiful, hypnotic blue orbs that she calls eyes._ Chloe gave her an honest smile and Beca just had to shoot one back. She locked her phone and tossed it aside before laying down and pulling the covers up, snuggling as much as she could. She heard footsteps and then the lights went off, then footsteps again, shuffling and then finally, silence.

"Goodnight, Becs."

"Goodnight, Chlo."

* * *

 

About an hour had passed and Beca was sound asleep. Chloe was wide awake. She couldn't stop thinking. She knew Beca was staring earlier. She felt her gaze on her. She felt Beca's eyes on her back. She felt her heart skip a beat. She felt her stomach begin to churn. Something was there and she knew it. She knew Beca had felt something just then. What she didn't know was that it wasn't the first time Beca had given her that look. Oh, it was far from that.

"Pssst."

Nothing.

"PSSSST. BECS." she whispered.

Nothing.

"BECA."

"Mmwhat?!" Beca muttered.

Silence.

"Oh my god what, Chloe?"

"I can't sleep."

"So you're going to make me suffer with you?"

Silence.

Beca sighed as she lifted her arm towards the ceiling grasping into the air. It was the signal for Chloe to come. Upon seeing Beca's arm raised in the air and hand grasping a few times before stopping in a relaxed fist, Chloe quickly got up from her bed and shuffled across the common room to Beca's, all while smiling like an idiot. She held onto Beca's hand for balance as she climbed into the bed and under the covers, satisfied with the warmth it offered.

"No offense but I mean what's the point of getting a two queen sized bedded room if you're just going to sleep in mine?" Beca said turning around to pull Chloe in a little closer. Chloe's breath hitched at the contact, surprised at how strong Beca was.

"Just for tonight. I promise." She took a deep breath reveling at the natural vanilla scent that Beca's body gave.

"Mhm. Sure." Beca mumbled as she started to spoon Chloe. "It's going to be a fun two weeks."

"Whatever, you love snuggling with me."

"I do. You always smell like peaches and sunshine and smiles." Chloe grinned stupidly. She felt Beca's breath even out on her shoulder indicating she was asleep again. She wasn't too far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have decided to wait to upload Chapter 3 in a few days to give myself a little time to write more, I've already begun Chapter 7 so you can look forward to all of that. I'll try my best to upload consistently but if I don't I'm sorry. Thanks so much for reading!


	3. "Let's Go Exploring"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shenanigans. Also parallels.

Chloe woke up to the theme song of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air playing from Beca's phone that was annoyingly digging into her rib.

 _What the hell? Is that The Fresh Prince theme song? Becs doesn't even like movies.. or tv shows. What?_ She pulled Beca's phone from under her, squinting at it.

Stacie. She swiped right to answer.

"Hello?"

"Chloe? I called you like six times what the hell?!" Chloe sat up and looked over to the other room to see her phone still on her bed.

"It was on vibrate. I didn't feel it." She didn't really want to explain that she wasn't anywhere near her phone.

"Why did you pick up Beca's phone?"

"Cause it was ringing?" Beca started to shift.

"Mhm. Well, hurry up and get down to the lobby we're all hungry and waiting for you guys! Unless.. of course you had a long night then we could leave you guys behind if you want and we could always meet up later."

"I barely slept last night I co-" Chloe could practically hear Stacie smile. "... you're disgusting Stace. I actually fell for that. How did I fall for that?"

"You said it yourself, you didn't get a lot of rest last night. We get it." Chloe could hear giggling in the background.

"Did you put me on speaker?!"

More laughing.

"Chlo, what the hell?" Beca was awake now.

"Great, you made me wake her up! We'll be there, just give us fifteen minutes." Chloe could hear the girls whooping as she hung up.

"We'll be where in fifteen minutes?" She looked over to see Beca putting her hair up in a bun, looking over her shoulder at her with those dark blue eyes. Chloe stopped thinking to take in her friend's beauty. The tired blue eyes and the messy bun. The curve of her neck. The little bit of skin that was peeking out from where her neck became back. She just wanted to touch, just a little touch. _Fuck she looked good_. She shook her head looking down.

"The lobby. The girls want to get food."

"Okay. Do you wanna use the bathroom first? I need a second to wake up a little more."

"Sure."

Beca couldn't help it as she watched Chloe walk to the bathroom. The bed hair, the cami that got pushed up a little exposing a bit of hip, her boxer shorts that were on just a little crooked. And those legs! _Fuck she looked good._

 

It took them 20 minutes to get down to the lobby. Amy stood from the couch as they approached.

"It's about damn time! I'm starving here! Just 'cause you guys ate some fish tacos last night, doesn't mean you could just make us wait for-"

"What? Fish tac-" Chloe was interrupted.

" **Okay**! Lets go get some food guys!" Stacie yelled clasping her hands together.

 

* * *

 

After having breakfast at some cute little café, the girls decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for sight seeing.

"Did you charge the camera?" Chloe asked propping her leg on the coffee table.

"Yes ma'am." Beca looked up from checking the camera battery to see Chloe masterly applying sunblock to her legs. Those shiny, smooth legs. They were hypnotizing her. Those hands, those soft hands, moving up and down reaching all the way down to those little ankles. _Wow. Chloe's flexible. Look away Beca, look away!_ Her eyes dropped back to the camera.

"Hey I've been meaning to ask you, what's up with your ringtone?"

"What about it?" Beca put up her hands to signal Chloe to toss over the sunblock.

"It's The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song.." She said tossing it over.

"That it is." Beca responded while barely catching the bottle, almost dropping it more than once as it bounced off her hands a couple times.

"You don't even like watching movies or tv shows, besides like.. The Voice?" Chloe now stood with her hands on her hips waiting for Beca's reply. She looked over at Beca to see that the brunette was looking as cute as ever. She was wearing a white t-shirt that had the sleeves rolled all the way up to her shoulders and the bottom tied in a knot on her hip exposing the curve of her lower stomach, she had on dark blue short shorts that were beautifully ripped up, a pair of red chucks, wayfarers and a cap to top it off.

And the way she was putting on the sunscreen was just mesmerizing.

"I never said that. I said I didn't like movies because they took too long and I have a short attention span and would get bored easily. But I never said I didn't like tv shows. Think about it, episodes are like twenty to forty or so minutes long, perfect for my attention span, and there's always something happening, it's consistent. And I get to know these characters more and more each week. It's great. Movies? No. Tv shows? Sign me the fuck up.. How is it that you don't know that about me?"

".. I don't know. That is kind of weird that I didn't know that. Becs! We should already know all there is to know about each other!"

"Maybe.. but where's the fun in that?" Chloe looked up to see Beca sincerely smiling to herself. "There done." Beca looked up from her legs to give Chloe a once-over as the redhead was bending over to pick up her own sunglasses off the table. Beca had to admire the view. Chloe was decked out in a black and red floral crop top and light blue high waisted shorts and a pair of black Nike's.

Chloe looked back over at the brunette while putting on her wayfarers and she could swear Beca was checking her out.

"How do I look?" Chloe dared.

"You're too hot." Beca sang as she pushed herself off the bed.

"Hot damn." Chloe shot back.

 

* * *

 

The girls were taking pictures at a fountain when Beca's phone started ringing.

"Hey guys I'll be right back." She said walking off, prompting various responses.

"Yeah sure."

"What was that? Was that The Fresh Prince theme song?"

"Amy shut up and do your mermaid dance already!" Chloe yelled for everyone to focus. She really wanted decent photos of their vacation, it was their last trip together after all.

"Alright, Gringa calm your tits I'm dancing! Is this what you want?! Are you happy? I'm dancing for you!" Amy yelled back as she aggressively wiggled her body on the fountain’s ledge.

"Yes! Gold, Amy. Thank you."

"Jesus Christ! And here I thought you guys didn't just want me for my body."

 

"Hey Jess. What's up?" Beca couldn't help but laugh at the exchange as she was walking away.

"Nothing much. Benji went to hang out with Em so I'm all alone and lonely and by myself like a loner at our place, I think I’m going to throw a party tonight just ‘cause I’m so lonely."

"Oh really? How is Em doing? Do you know?"

"Of course I know how she is! She's all Benji talks about. They're great though I love them so much. They're so cute it makes me feel all fuzzy inside. But yeah she's fine, I think she already convinced a couple girls to audition to become bellas."

"Really? That's great!" Beca looked up to see Stacie pull Amy off the fountain ledge so she could have a turn.

"Yeah. Um, Becs?" Beca watched as Stacie proceeded to lay down on her stomach then push herself up, arching her back in an uncomfortably seductive manner before winking and biting her lower lip at Chloe.

"Yeah Jess?" She laughed when Chloe threw her arms up before turning around to look for Beca. When their eyes met, Chloe held her arm out to the side like a model before smiling and bowing at Beca. Beca couldn't help but laugh. She held up a finger to Chloe to tell her she was almost done and Chloe turned back around to take more pictures.

"Can I ask you something serious?" It was then when Amy decided to be a little spontaneous, not that she wasn't always spontaneous but she was feeling a little more impulsive than usual in that split second where she had made the decision to be a complete ass. Beca saw a look flash through Amy's eyes and she knew the little evil Tasmanian was up to something.

"Uh hold on, Jess." Beca watched as Amy took a few little steps towards Stacie before lunging at her and pushing her into the water. "Holy shit! Jess, I have to call you back!"

"Wait Bec-" She hung up on Jesse again before running over to Chloe.

Stacie emerged from the fountain soaking wet and absolutely fuming. Amy stood at the ledge still laughing like she never laughed before, it was fitting when Stacie grabbed her arm and pulled her in too. Chloe just stood there shaking her head, watching the girls take turns dunking each other in the water, occasionally snapping a picture.

"Everything always turns to shit when I'm gone right?" Chloe looked over to see Beca beside her smiling, the distant sound of Stacie and Amy screaming in the background. She chuckled.

"Pretty much." Beca didn't know how much truth was in those two words that came out of Chloe's mouth. Their eyes lingered in each other's a little too long when they heard whistling in the distance.

"Shit! It's the five-o! I’m out!" Cynthia Rose yelled before running off on her own, Jessica, Ashley, Lilly and Flo following closely behind, Flo going out of her way to do a couple cartwheels in the process. Amy and Stacie quickly hopped out of the fountain to run in a different direction entirely.

"Maybe we should try to follow them?" Beca asked quietly after witnessing the ridiculous scene unfold. Chloe contemplated a second before replying.

".. Nah." Chloe looked over into Beca's confused eyes before smiling at the brunette. "Come on. Let's go exploring." She whispered closely as she took Beca's hand and winked at her before pulling her into the tourist fray that was Rome. Beca could only smile back.

"Okay." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this one was short and nothing really happens but CH.4 will more than make up for it I promise. Thanks for reading~


	4. "What Do You Think?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca has an epiphany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys enjoy this one.

"Do you know where we are?" The sun was already starting to set and they had been walking all day. Chloe looked at Beca pausing for a second to think.

"Nope."

"Fantastic." Chloe stopped walking to completely turn to Beca.

"Come on, Becs. This is our last trip together! Live a little would you? We're in Rome! The sun is setting and it's beautiful! And, if we need it-which we won’t! We can always use gps or call a cab." She pulled on Beca's hand. "Come on." She stopped breathing when she felt Beca wrap a finger on one of her belt loops.

"What do you mean this is our last trip together? Neither of us are leaving Atlanta any time soon if I'm not mistaken. And I'm pretty sure we'll see a lot of each other when we get back considering the fact that we're going to be **roommates**. I mean.. did you just forget about that little detail?.. And I promise you that I will go on vacations with you whenever you want." Beca leaned down to look for Chloe's eyes that were glued to the floor.

"I know that but-" Tears were welling in Chloe's eyes now.

"Hey." Chloe finally looked up to Beca's soft eyes. "You know that right? We're not going to be those friends who promise to stay in touch only to slowly lose contact each year.. We're gonna make it. We're gonna be neighbors in our retirement home just watch. We could even pass each other notes through the nurses when we’re bedridden." Beca gave Chloe a soft smile before tugging on her belt loop to pull her in for a hug. "And I meant what I said about vacationing whenever you want. I mean, as long as your treating, of course." Chloe slapped Beca's arm softly before sinking into the hug. Feeling Beca's slow breathing was the most comforting thing Chloe could ever experience. Though she did think Beca's heartbeat felt a little rapid. She wished she could stay there in Beca's arms forever, she really did and she wished Beca was more than just her best friend. But Beca had a boyfriend, and she wasn't even into girls. Right?

She nuzzled her face in Beca's shoulder and she felt Beca rest her chin on her. She took a deep breath and they stayed there for a minute before Beca spoke up.

"You okay?" She nodded. "Okay.. Can we maybe go sit down? My shoes are killing me." She nodded again. "I think my pinkie toe fell off about an hour ago." She chuckled as Beca pulled back from the hug smiling at her. "Come on there's a bridge over there with some angel statues that look promising." Beca took her hand softly intertwining their fingers as she led them to the bridge.

It was darker now and they stopped to sit on the floor under one of the angels. They sat there quietly admiring the statue that stood across the ways, it was of a woman with wings holding a small spear. It was gorgeous, really. They played with each others hands, taking turns stroking each others fingers and turning them over to trace the linings on their palms quietly. After a few minutes Beca turned to look at Chloe. And in all of Beca's life, she could swear that she had never seen such a beautiful sight. It was dark but she could see the warm city lights glistening in Chloe's eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes that were glued to the statue ahead. Her breath hitched and she knew Chloe heard but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She just couldn't tear her eyes away.

Chloe felt Beca's gaze on her but she didn't dare look back. She knew that if she met those eyes again, she wouldn't be able to control herself. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Beca's breath quicken when she had turned to look at her. But she couldn't look back at her. Beca has a boyfriend. If she looked now, she was going to kiss her for sure and she really didn't want that, not when Jesse was still in the picture.

"What are you looking at?" It came out more of whimper than she intended.

It was quiet other than some shuffling and distant voices. Chloe waited for Beca's answer anxiously.

"..What do you think?"

Chloe felt her face flush. She swallowed hard before finally meeting Beca's eyes. Beca wasn't smiling. She was serious, **sincere** , even. Chloe felt the tension increase tenfold within half a second. She glanced down at Beca's slightly parted lips before quickly meeting those deep blue eyes again. She stopped breathing and so did Beca.

"Becs." She whispered, she didn't have the energy to use her voice.

"Yeah?" Beca whispered back. She really wanted to kiss Chloe, more than anything she had ever wanted. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She could smell peaches. After walking around in the sun all day, Chloe still managed to smell like peaches. And it was fucking euphoric to Beca. She thought it was her imagination when she saw Chloe lean a little towards her. Their faces so close.

"..You have kind eyes." Chloe whispered softly and Beca could feel her hot breath on her face.

"What?" She asked feeling a smirk form on her face. They held each other's gazes.

"You have kind eyes." Chloe waited for some sign of registration on Beca's face only to find none so she continued. "At the activities fair.. I approached you because.. I thought you had kind eyes. Aubrey said no because she thought you looked too alternative for us but.. I talked you anyways. And.. and I think that was one of the greatest things I've ever done. Talking to you that day.. I just.. thought you should know that."

Beca couldn't speak and she didn't want to frankly. She wanted to kiss Chloe right then and there with all she had. And so, she started to lean in to close the gap between them.

 

**Now this is the story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down.**

**No no no no. Chloe's eyes widened and she quickly turned away and Beca's heart sank.**

**And I'd like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air.**

_Will Smith?! How could you betray me like this?!_

 

She pulled her phone out of her pocket to see Jesse's face on caller id. She quickly pushed herself up and took a few steps before picking up.

"What, Jesse?! Isn't it like 3 am over there right now?!"

"Um no.. I'm just kidding yeah it's totally like almo-almost-almost.. 4? Right now and I'm so fucking wasted, Becs! I just wanted to call my girl so I could prove Donald wrong. He's so stupid. He’s soo soo stupid. Hey, baby you.. you hung up on me today." Jesse managed to slur every single word.

"Don't fucking call me when you're drunk, Jesse." Beca was angry. She was angry that he was drunk calling her, she was angry at his reason for calling her, she was angry that he brought up the phone call earlier, she was angry at him for interrupting her moment with Chloe. Chloe. She turned around to see Chloe leaning on the bridge with her back to Beca, she was watching the water. Everything was so fucked now. She couldn't control her feelings anymore. She loved Chloe. She was _in love with Chloe_. She loved the bubbly redhead with all she had but she had a boyfriend. She was lying to herself and she just now realized it. She loved Jesse, she really truly did.. but she wasn't _in_ love with him. She had to break up with him. And soon. But not now, he was drunk.

"Fucking Donald was talking shit telling me how you and Chloe we're probably making out behind my back without me kno-"

"What?!" _Fuck_.

"I know right? He's just being a dumbass. I mean.. yo-you and Chloe are like best friends and I respect that, I get it, I really do but I have to admit I get real fucking jealous sometimes. Like-like when you hung up on me earlier, it hurt Becs, I was trying to ask you a serious question.. about **her** actually!.. And sometimes I think I see her giving you thes-these.. **looks** that are like wayy more than just a friendly look.. you know?" Jesse paused, but when Beca didn't reply he began again. "But yeah you.. you guys are just like really.. really close.. right?" Jesse needed reassurance but Beca couldn't give him any. She could practically hear him sober up. "Beca?"

"I have to go Jess." She hung up and stared at the phone. He didn't know what he was talking about, he was just being a typical drunk dumbass right? She was still staring at her phone when she got a text from Stacie.

 

**9:42pm**

**Staciiee: Hey are you guys ok? Where tf did you guys go?**

**Beca: Yeah we're fine we're heading back right now.**

**Staciiee: Ok good we were worried. Be safe yall, we're gonna go clubbin at the place that's like two blocks from the hotel so we'll be there if you guys wanna tag.**

**9:43pm**

**Beca: I'll ask Chlo**

**Staciiee: Ok!**

 

She made her way back to Chloe lightly touching the redheads arm.

"Hey. Sorry.. that was Jesse." She said looking down.

"Yeah. I know." There was a sense of finality in Chloe's voice that broke Beca's heart.

"Um. Stace asked if we wanted to go clubbing with them."

Chloe shook her head. "I'm tired, I just want to go to bed right now." Beca nodded.

"Yeah me too." She held her hand out for Chloe to take. Relieved when Chloe took it.

 

* * *

 

They had arrived back at the hotel a little before 11. They decided to try to find their way back on their own to test their memory before failing miserably and finally giving up and hailing a cab.

The elevator ride was quiet and tense. They were still holding hands. Of course they were. Both of their palms were sweaty but neither girl dared to say anything. Chloe watched Beca closely through quick side glances, trying to read her. But Beca gave no indication of her feelings, she was obviously nervous but that's all Chloe could really pick up.

Beca smiled at Chloe when the elevator stopped, pulling her along as she stepped out. Chloe followed closely but quietly behind. Both girls were a little sad when Beca had to untangle their fingers to find their key card but neither showed it. After unlocking the door and letting Chloe into the room first, Beca shot a quick text to Stacie telling her that they were retiring for the night.

After showering, Chloe decided to try to fall asleep before Beca got out of the bathroom, considering there was a little too much tension between them right now. But she couldn't stop thinking. She almost kissed Beca. And Beca almost kissed her. And she never thought that would even be a possibility.

 _She had to have felt that too. That wasn't just me_.

She heard the shower turn off.

Beca stepped out of the bathroom to find Chloe already asleep. Probably for the better, she didn't think she could talk to her right now. She quickly turned off the light and shuffled into her bed.

Neither girl slept that night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fresh Prince of Bel Air anyone?.. I'm sorry. I know Beca's little moment of clarity was a little quick in the story but come on they've been best friends for 4 years already soo. Also Beca is a sweetheart but only for Chloe~


	5. "Dance With Me"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty proud of this chapter so I hope you guys like it. Also, Chloe is a tease.

Beca was the first to wake up the next morning. She sat in bed for a few minutes staring at the redhead across the room who was splayed across the bed. The events of the night before had returned to her memory, slapping her across the face like a ton of bricks the second she spotted the fiery head. So much shit was going on now, everything had changed. Sure, she was attracted to Chloe before- **who wouldn't be?** \- but this was different. She had no longer thought of Jesse when thinking about who she loved. She had been best friends with Chloe for 4 years now and she loved the bubbly girl since she met her, though she'd never say it out loud, but that had been purely platonic, with a little bit of heart eyes here and there. She knew she had a little crush on Chloe for a while but she'd thought it would have gone away by now, but after last night, those feelings grew into something real, and it scared the shit out of her. But she knew her relationship with Chloe had a lot of fucking potential. They were already so comfortable with each other, it wouldn't be too hard to make the transition.. would it?

She quietly washed her face before letting herself out the room. She made her way to the café in the lobby and ordered a coffee before spotting Cynthia Rose by herself enjoying a croissant.

"Heyy Chief." Cynthia Rose smiled as Beca approached with her coffee.

"Mornin' CR. How was clubbing last night?" She sipped her coffee as she sat across from the bella who leaned in to whisper.

"It was fucking crazy!" She leaned back before using her voice this time. "We're going again tonight.. Speaking of last night, where'd you and Red get off to?"

Beca took another sip and then scratched her head thinking of what to say. She was still unsure what the night before actually was. She couldn't define what had happened. She blushed a little.

"We kinda just.. I don't know, hung out?" Cynthia Rose raised her eyebrows at Beca.

"Mhmm.." She took a bite of her croissant and spoke again. "Sounds nice." She looked at Beca expectantly.

"It was." Beca smiled to herself as she glanced down at her coffee. Cynthia Rose's eyebrows shot up at Beca's flustered state.

"Okayy well, y'all are comin' out tonight with us for sure aight?" She stood as she popped the last bit of the baked good into her mouth. Beca nodded and smiled as the other girl crumpled up her napkin.

"Yeah for sure we'll be there."

"Aight cool. I'll see you later then, ladykiller." She shot Beca a charming smile and a quick wink before turning and walking off.

_Ladykiller?_

_What?_

Beca quickly finished the rest of her coffee and returned to the barista to order another cup and a sprinkled donut for Chloe.

Chloe was already awake sitting up on her bed when she returned to their room.

The redhead snapped her head to the door as Beca walked in. Beca held the brown paper bag between her lips as she locked the door. She froze when she turned and saw Chloe smiling at her in that way she always does.

 _This could be a **thing**_ she thought. She could get used to this, seeing Chloe smile at her from the bed in the mornings as she brought her breakfast. She smiled and took a hesitant step taking the bag out of her mouth.

"Hey."

"Hey back." Chloe thought for a second about how they were behaving towards each other. They were acting like they had hooked up last night, it was awkward but nice in a way. A really fucking nice way. But they didn't hook up, so what was the deal? Why was Beca suddenly being weird?

. _.Oh yeah._

_We almost kissed last night._

Chloe couldn't help the blush from appearing on her cheeks. She looked away from Beca. How could she forget? It kind of was a really big fucking deal. Four years of pining after the brunette was this close to being rewarded and she would have completely forgotten about it if Beca wasn't acting oddly.

"I uh.. got you some coffee." She lifted the cup in the air as she walked over to the bed. Remembering the donut as she took a seat across from Chloe. "Oh and a donut." Chloe smiled sweetly as she took the treats.

"Thanks, beb." Beca raised her eyebrows before squinting at the now giddy redhead.

"..That's my thing."

"I thought it was **our** thing." Chloe took a sip as she watched for a reaction. She didn't have to wait long as Beca blushed almost instantly as the words came out.

"I um.. okay." She chuckled before looking to meet Chloe's eyes and her throat went tight. "Um.. the girls want us to go clubbing with them tonight and honestly, I don't really think we have a choice in the matter." Chloe took a bite of her donut.

"Sounds fun." She smiled sweetly. Beca died a little inside when she saw a little pink sprinkle lingering on the corner of Chloe's lips. Chloe's soft looking lips. She pointed to her own mouth.

"You got a little something there."

Chloe blushed as she looked down and away from Beca's eyes. She tried her best to hide the wicked grin that had formed before looking back into Beca's eyes.

Smiling sweetly, she made quite a show of slowly licking the length of her bottom lip, eyes never leaving Beca's.

Beca had stopped breathing as she followed Chloe's tongue with her eyes, watching closely as it curled at the corner, picking up the sprinkle as it retreated back into Chloe's mouth. Beca thought she was done until she saw Chloe slowly bite her lip. She watched as the color slowly returned to them after the pressure of her teeth had left.

"Did I get it?" Beca's eyes quickly shot up to meet Chloe's once again. They were both blushing.

"..Mhm."

 

* * *

 

 

"The dudes in this place are really uh.." Beca took a sip of her strawberry margarita before grimacing at the sight of 7 bellas on the dance floor surrounded by gropey men. "..pervy looking." Chloe looked over to the brunette as she sipped her own drink.

"Yeah they do.. but Stace said it was really fun so.."

"Well now it all makes sense." Beca chuckled glancing sideways at a bouncing Chloe before returning her eyes to the dancefloor.

"Hey.." she nudged Beca with her shoulder.

"Hm?" Beca popped a lime in her mouth as she turned slowly to face Chloe with her eyes still glued on the bellas. She felt Chloe's hand slide over hers and she quickly met Chloe's bright eyes with her own.

"Let's show these guys how American girls do it." Chloe shot Beca a wink that famous Chloe Beale wink that could melt glaciers- if they weren't already melting from global warming of course. She hopped off the stool and faced the bella leader smiling widely, using both her hands to hold Beca's, quickly intertwining their fingers. She watched as Beca quickly downed the last of her drink and hopped off her own stool before she started to step backwards into the fray, never once did her eyes leave Beca's. Beca followed obediently.

The bellas whooped and whistled when they saw the two leaders approaching, causing the duo to chuckle. Chloe pulled Beca right into the middle of the action, slowly stopping as she lifted Beca's arm twirl under it-once-twice. She stopped spinning with her back to the brunnette setting the co-leader's palm on her shoulder before slowly bending over to grind her backside into Beca's front. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see the intense blush form on Beca's face. She flipped her hair as she stood straight again, turning to face the now shy bella. Beca could only stand there, flustered. She put her hand on Beca's stomach, feeling the brunette's toned waist as she slowly walked around her, leaning closely as she passed by Beca's ear to whisper.

"Come on, Becs." Her hand left Beca's waist to trail up the brunette's back to rest on her neck as she circled back around to face her. She felt Beca shudder.

Beca couldn't handle what was happening. Chloe was touching her in ways that made her feel things, many things, most of which being very inappropriate. She wanted nothing more than to grab Chloe right there and to kiss her with passion in amounts she thought she would never have considering her closed off nature.

But Chloe did things to her, and not just sexually, Chloe wormed her way into that fucked up heart that Beca called hers and she fixed it from the inside. Beca opened up to Chloe in ways she would never even have considered before meeting the bubbly girl. Even now she wouldn't tell Jesse half the things she's already told Chloe two years ago. Like how she was terrified after she thought she found a lump in one of her breasts because her mother had breast cancer and she didn't think she could be as strong as her mom. But Chloe was there for her then and she didn't think she would have made it here without the fiery girl. The lump had been a false alarm of course but that didn't stop Chloe from being there for Beca anyways.

"Chlo.. what are you doing?" Beca swallowed hard as Chloe leaned in close.

"I'm dancing, Becs. Dance with me." Beca could feel Chloe's breath on her face. Chloe reached down to hold both of Beca's hands then proceeded to spread both their arms wide to pull the girl in close. She waited for Beca's chest to meet hers before she rolled her body, grinding on the brunette, keeping her face close to Beca's neck for the most effect.

Beca couldn't do this. She had a boyfriend, a boyfriend she wasn't in love with but a nice one who still hadn't called back after she had hung up on him. But what was this exactly?

"I uh.." Beca swallowed hard as she pulled herself away. "Uh.. air." She pointed to the exit and walked off not waiting for Chloe's reply.

"Beca wait-" She went too far. She promised herself she wouldn't go too far but she did and now Beca's walking away. She stood there angry at herself before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Chlo. She'll come around just give it a little more time." Chloe looked up to see a sweaty but sincere Stacie.

"Thanks Stace." She watched Beca walk away when she heard some guy with a thick accent approach Stacie.

"How much?"

"Um.. what?" Stacie was genuinely confused.

"For eh you know uh.." the tall man tilted his head from side to side contemplating on how to approach the subject before settling with a wink and a wiggle of his eyebrows. "You know?"

"Oh my god, he thinks you're a prostitute Stace." Chloe whispered close as to not attract attention. Stacie snapped at the man.

"What?!"

"What?"

"I'm not a prostitute!"

"What?!"

"What?!"

"..What?!" Chloe was getting tired of this conversation that seemed to be going in circles.

"What?!" Oy vey.

"But that girl said-" Stacie and Chloe shot their eyes to where the man had pointed to find Fat Amy on a barstool sipping on a drink, waving sheepishly.

"I'm gonna fucking kill her. Hold me back, Chlo!"

"Breathe Stace!" Chloe placed her hands on Stacie's shoulder and abdomen, finding it a little hard to avoid the chest region with the way Stacie was bouncing as if she was going to pounce.

"So uh.. no to the sex then?" Chloe glared at the man.

"Well I didn't say that."

"Stace." Chloe warned.

"Next time?" Chloe squinted at Stacie. "Sorry, man." The man gave Stacie an understanding smile before walking off.

Beca stepped out into the cool air breathing deeply.

_Holy shit. What was that? She's never done that before. Fuck._

She took a minute to collect her thoughts. Chloe wasn't doing anything wrong she was just dancing with her, Jesse would be okay with this right? Not that it mattered much since she was planning on breaking it off with him anyways.

_This isn't cheating. We’re just dancing.. right? Just two girls having a friendly dance. This is fine._

She took a deep breath before going back in. She walked straight to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila. She quickly downed the drink embracing the burn in her throat and feeling the warmth in her chest rise as she watched some (very good looking) guy grind on Chloe. Of course some guy is grinding on her already, she hadn't even been gone for five minutes. But to be fair though, Chloe was the hottest one there. Beca shook the nerves out through her arms. She stepped forward right when the DJ spun a new song.

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Beca cursed to herself for being a cliché but she didn't really care, she just wanted to dance with the one person who made her feel like she's never felt before.

 **Down with the time, light as a feather**   
**That way you waited, that is, believe me, no better**   
**hear when I call you the better.**

She pushed through the crowd that blocked her view of the red hair and blue eyes. They're all she saw.

 **Where is your heart?**   
**I’m coming over**   
**Heavy with love, with it all over my body**   
**Making new love to somebody.**

Chloe was already sweaty. Her hair stuck to her face. She was still angry at herself for pushing Beca too far. She had to dance the feelings out. Her arms were in the sky, she was bouncing when she turned to meet Beca's predatory eyes.

 **Now that I see as I reclouded**   
**My heart has never beated louder**

They both stopped in their tracks. Beca was the first to step forward to put a hand on the (very good looking) guy's chest to push him away.

 **They both**   
**I can’t believe that I doubted,**

They held each other's gazes for an intense second before Beca held her hand out for Chloe to take. Chloe looked down at the invitation.

**I doubted you**

"Come on Chlo', dance with me." She looked back up into Beca's deep blue eyes. They smiled at each other briefly before Chloe finally took Beca's hand.

 **Taking my hand look into my heart**   
**I’m coming out, I’m coming out**   
**Pulsing it in love**   
**Pulsing it into one**   
**Forcing it into us**

  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo just so you guys know, the song used was Tomas Barfod - Pulsing ft Nina Kinert. & it's like my all time favorite song to dance to so I thought I'd put that in. Please go check it out its soo gooood. Anyways thanks for reading !


	6. "Make it Better?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down.

Beca awoke the next morning with the sun burning through her skull, a kink in her neck, a pounding headache and a very distinct weight on her abdomen. She fooled herself into thinking the sun wasn't going to blind her when she opened her eyes, finding herself on the couch. Well.. halfway on the couch anyway, half of her torso and her head were completely hanging off the edge- well that explains the kink in her neck. She looked around the now upside down room to find it completely trashed with food everywhere.

_What the fuck happened last night?_

She lifted her head- an action that is much harder than it looks especially with a hangover- to slide herself fully onto the couch, she couldn't though because there was a person there.. occupying the **entire** sofa. So Beca let her half self swing back down to release the strain on her core muscles.

_Chloe._

She was laying completely on top of Beca, other than the torso that was hanging off of the couch of course. Their bare legs were intertwined with each others and Chloe was hugging onto Beca's waist, it's probably what kept Beca from completely falling onto the floor, something Beca was sure she would have preferred considering how her neck felt like a ninja came in and snapped it overnight. Wait. Bare legs?

"Chlo, wake up." Beca reached up blindly over the sofa's edge feeling for Chloe's face. "Chloee, what happened last night?" She found Chloe's nose and began to flick it with the tip of her middle finger, she could barely reach considering her position, she knew she couldn't stay in the awkward pose for long so she flicked like there was no tomorrow. She dropped back down when she couldn't take the strain on her arm anymore, taking a moment to catch her breath. Again, she reached up feeling for Chloe's face, this time though, she found her mouth. Beca froze when she realized what she was feeling under her fingertips. Hesitating at first, she began tracing her finger up and down feeling every little wrinkle there was on Chloe's lips. She took a moment to think about what it would be like to kiss them, to feel them move under her own.

"What are you doing?" Chloe rolled over and off of Beca, releasing her to the inevitable doom that was the floor. Beca could have sworn her life flashed before her eyes in that split second where she was falling those two inches to her death. When her head finally hit the carpeted floor-with a very quiet thud- her body began to swing off of the couch, her leg hitting the coffee table as it was coming down. She laid there silent. "Oh my god, Bec's are you okay?!" Chloe quickly hopped off the couch to find Beca's side, immediately regretting the decision to stand as the headache pounded in her head.

"Am I in heaven right now?" Beca didn't move, she was in pain. Chloe slowly lifted Beca's head and wedged her legs under them.

"Stay with me Becs." She began to stroke Beca's hair as the brunette's eyes fluttered closed. They stayed there for a few moments just thinking.

_'Stay with me Becs'?.. Huh._

_'Heaven'?.. Huh._

"Do you think I'm heavenly, Becs?"

Beca opened her eyes again.

"Shut up. I'm seriously gonna get a huge bruise, I feel it coming on." She sat up.

"Yeah that looked like it really hurt. Can you walk?"

"Yeah I'm fine, ain't no thang but a chicken wang." She pushed herself off the floor to stand only to have to brace the coffee table for balance as her head felt like it was going to split in half. "Holy shhh..." she drifted off as she shut her eyes tightly. Chloe quickly stood to hold Beca upright.

"Oh my god is it broken do you think?! I'm so sorry that was all my fault oh my god!"

"Shut up. My leg is fine." She pointed to her head. "It's the hangover."

"Oh okay.. okay good." Chloe dropped herself onto the couch. Beca followed suit. "Um.. Becs, why are we in our underwear?" She looked to Beca squinting her eyes with her mouth slightly open. Beca's mouth opened to speak but nothing came out, she shut her mouth and took another look around the room, this time upright.

"I guess we came back from the club.. drunk, obviously.. And then I think we had a food fight?" She looked over to Chloe who was now nodding.

"Yeah, I think I vaguely remember a food fight."

"And I guess.. I guess our pants got dirty soo.. we took them off?"

"That sounds like something we would do." They were both nodding now.

"Yeah I thought so too." They sat there for a while imagining what might have happened last night, how much fun they might have had in their drunken state.

"I need water.. now." Beca pulled herself off the couch and started for the kitchen.

"Grab me a bottle too please?" Chloe laid back onto the couch as she heard a faint "mhm" from the other girl.

 

* * *

Beca stared at her phone as she waited for Chloe to get out of the shower. Jesse hadn't called her since that night she almost kissed Chloe. She was contemplating on whether or not to call him as she gazed at his contact picture. He looked happy in it. Content. She wondered if he was happy now, now that she gave him a reason to doubt her relationship with Chloe. But it's not like she could have told him what it was anyways. She didn't know what it was either. She loves Chloe and that's all she really knows for sure but where Chloe stands in all of it, she can't be sure. Chloe is the type of person to hug a person on the street just because they "looked like they needed one" and she was a shameless flirt who you couldn't get mad at even if you wanted to-but who in their right mind would ever want to be mad at a person like Chloe Beale? So this **thing** that Beca had with her.. Beca couldn't define it to save her life. But she knew it was something. Something she didn't have with Jesse.

And so, she called him.

She realized after two rings that this wasn't the ideal place to have this call, what with the girl she was probably in love with naked in the other room and all. So, she hung up. Maybe she was stalling. She didn't really know.

She grabbed her key card and left the room after texting Chloe that she'll be back soon. She had stepped outside, trying to find a quiet spot to make the inevitable phone call when her phone rang. She picked up after looking at the caller id.

"Jesse."

"You called?" His voice was firm. He was angry, he had a good reason to be.

"Yeah.. um. Hold on for two seconds please." She quickly glanced around her surroundings to find an isolated spot where she could sit, settling for an old bench off to her left. After sitting she checked her phone making sure he was still on the line. "So um. How are you?" She was hesitant and she knew Jesse heard the unease in her voice.

"What's the deal, Beca?" He wasn't going to play games with her.

"I um.. what-what deal?" She was really hoping he wouldn't bring it up. Her throat went tight, she knew she shouldn't have asked that. She knows exactly what he's talking about.

"What do you mean what's deal, Beca? You know damn well what deal." She shut her eyes. "You and Chloe for fuck's sake! What's happening there? And don't you fucking dare tell me that it isn't anything and that you're just friends because I've been telling myself that for three goddamn years and you cleared that up for me real nice last time we talked."

"I wasn-"

"What is it Beca?!" He was screaming now. Her vision was getting blurry with tears. She never wanted to hurt Jesse, he was the nicest guy she knew, other than Benji. "Becs.. tell me." His voice was soft now. She couldn't lie to him anymore not when he was hurting like this. She took a deep breath and swallowed, looking up at a little girl across the ways who was playing tag with a little boy. She wished she was a kid again, when everything was simple and everyone was friends with everyone else. Growing up sucks, responsibilities suck, feelings suck.

"I.. I think I-"

"You love her?" The question hit her like an 18 wheeler going 80 down an icy slope. She began to sob. She did love her. **Does**. So why was she crying? She found someone she could potentially love for the rest of her life, someone who had been hiding in plain sight. Yeah, she probably just broke Jesse's heart in the process but she was in love for fuck's sake. "Do you love her?" Jesse's voice was shaky.

"Y.. " She took another breath. "There's something there that I can't deny.. And it's something that isn't there with-with you." Something shifted in the air when she said it. It was real now, and she couldn't take it back. So she sucked in a breath and pulled herself together. "Jess. I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. It's all so fucked up and I'm so.. I'm soo fucking sorry."

"Stop." It was quiet but Beca could hear his ragged breath. "Three years and you're breaking up with me on the phone. You just couldn't wait could you?" Beca was taken back by this new revelation. And when she thought about it, she realized that he wasn't wrong. She **had** wanted to break up with him as soon as possible and if it had to be through a phone call then so be it, she wanted a clear conscious now that she was having these feelings for Chloe. "Did you kiss her?" Beca's mind snapped back to reality.

"What?"

"Did you kiss her?" It was quiet again. "You know what? I take that back you two probably already fucked considering it's Chloe we're talking about." Beca's heart stopped. _Oh hell no._

"Don't you fucking dare talk about her like that."

He **laughed**.

She was seeing red now. "Who the fuck do you think you are, Jesse?! You think you're some kind of saint just because you only have eyes for me? Shit happens, Jesse! People break up! But sometimes, sometimes they develop feelings and they can't fucking help it! And Chloe would never do that. And you fucking know that. You fucking know that Chloe is like the sweetest person ever and that she would sooner choose to be alone for the rest of her life before she would do something like that! She knows where the line is and when not to fucking cross it, unlike you."

"You make her sound like she's the best person in the world."

"Yeah? Newsflash, Jesse! That's because she is! She's a good fucking person. And no we hadn't fucking kissed." She could practically hear him nodding on the other end. She didn't want to hang up just yet, she was daring him to retaliate. He sniffed, and she knew he was crying. But she was glad he was crying, because no one talks about Chloe Beale that way and if she had to reduce Jesse-sweet, sweet Jesse-into a sobbing mess to make him stop talking about her in a way that was anything less than admiration, then she wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

".. Goodbye Becs.. I hope it works out for you." He didn't bother to wait for her reply as he hung up. _Well that didn't go as planned_. But then again she really didn't know what to expect. Beca sat there watching the girl across the plaza as she composed herself, muttering quietly.

"Don't grow up, kid. It's a lie."

 

* * *

 

"Soo we are going to go see The Colosseum today!" Chloe beamed as she moisturized her arms.

"That sounds so fun. Being surrounded by sweaty annoying tourists in an actual slaughter pen. That just sounds so fantastic, Chlo." Beca chided as she laid on her bed staring up at her phone that was hanging from her hands in the air. She didn't really want to leave the hotel room what with the morning she had.

"Well yeah, I guess but come on, Becs!.. The Colosseum!" Chloe was way too enthusiastic for Beca, but it wasn't like she had any reason not to be, Beca's break up with Jesse had remained unknown to Chloe. The brunette thought it would be better for now if she didn't know.

Beca chuckled when she saw Chloe dramatically using her hands as she mouthed 'The Colosseum' a few more times. It was this chuckle, this sudden movement that caused her to drop her phone from arms length right smack on her forehead.

"Ouch-uh!" She quickly sat up and rubbed her forehead.

"Why are you always getting hurt?" Chloe snickered as she made her way to Beca. "You're so clumsy."

"I'm not clumsy. The universe is just testing me." She pouted. "Make it better?" She didn't know why she said it, it just came out but she didn't want to look stupid so, she held her gaze.. and her pout. Chloe swatted Beca's hand out of the way so she could examine the wound. It was pink and she could see that it was the side of her phone that hit considering the shape of the mark, but that was it. She was just about to yell at Beca for being overly dramatic until she looked down into the brunette's sad blue eyes. They held each other's gazes for a lot longer than necessary before she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Accepting Beca's plea, she cupped the brunette's face in her hands and leaned down. Beca's breath hitched as she felt Chloe kiss her forehead.

"There. Better?" Chloe quickly turned and walked off, scared Beca would see the blush forming on her face.

"Uh huh." Beca could barely manage to make sounds. She was grateful that Chloe wasn't looking at her anymore as she could feel her face become flushed. She still felt the ghost of Chloe's lips lingering on her forehead. She felt like she was on fire.

 

* * *

"And over there you can see the podium where the Emperor would sit along with-"

Chloe poked Beca's side as they listened to the tour guide causing a violent flinch from the smaller girl. Her eyes were stuck on the woman speaking as she felt Beca glare at her. When she saw Beca's gaze turn back to the woman, she poked her again, triggering another violent jerk from the girl. She giggled to herself as Beca scowled at her, she could hear her breathing angrily.

"Stop it."

"No." Beca's eyes widened.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Beale. Don't you know that this.." She gestured to her body as she hissed at the redhead "Is the Danger zone."

"Wow an Archer reference. Kudos to you." Beca smiled sweetly.

"Thanks, beb. I wasn't sure you were going to get that but I'm glad I took that risk." They both turned their attention back to the tour guide after chuckling to themselves.

Chloe poked Beca again but this time she added a little pinch and twist. She didn't think she had ever seen Beca move so fast. This time though, the brunette fumed at her. Chloe could see her little nostrils flaring. She couldn't help the giggle as it came out. The other bellas were occupied with the tour so she decided to cut and run. She quickly shot a wink at Beca before turning and darting off.

Beca's eyes widened at the immaturity of the redhead, she quickly glanced at the others making sure they were distracted before running after the redhead.

She turned a corner just in time to see red hair fly past to the right.

"Nope! You are not getting away, Beale!" She sprinted after the older girl and turned to find nothing but more stone walls and pathways. No Chloe. She sniffed the air thinking it would be hilarious if she could actually smell the other girl as she took a quiet step. She could hear Chloe's heavy breathing and she smiled to herself, she had always let Chloe get away with not doing cardio, not that the redhead really needed it anyways. She found the wall that she was sure Chloe was hiding behind. She peeked past the corner and saw the other girl bent over, hands on her knees facing the other side. _Oh this is going to be fantastic._ She crept up behind the other girl. She made sure she was close enough before she grabbed both of Chloe's sides.

"Boo!" Chloe spun around so fast that Beca didn't even see the hand that slapped her across the face.

"Ahh!" She cupped her face in her hands before falling to her knees. "You slapped me!"

"Oh my god Bec's don't do that!" Chloe knelt down besides Beca.

"Don't do what?! I didn't do anything! You **slapped** me!"

"I know I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Beca glared at Chloe as she lifted her head from her hands when she heard Chloe laugh.

"You're.. laughing at my pain?! How dare you?!" She tilted her head wide eyed at Chloe. Chloe couldn't take it when she noticed Beca's nostrils were flaring again. She put a hand on Beca's shoulder so she wouldn't fall over as she laughed.

"I'm sorry.. oh my god I **slapped** you.. **hard**." She sniffed and wiped her eye before looking at Beca again, noticing that half of the brunette's entire face was red. "Oh my god I slapped you so hard! I can't get over it! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"No! I am not okay! You slapped me!" Chloe wiped her eye again and let out another giggle before tilting Beca's chin up so she could fully see her face. She didn't hesitate when she cupped the brunette's face, leaned in and kissed her the second time that day. When she pulled back she could see the redness had already gone away, or maybe her whole face was red now? She couldn't really tell the difference.

"There. All better." She stood and held out a hand to help Beca up.

"Yeah maybe you should do that for a living. Kissing people to make everything better." Beca took the redhead's hand and pulled herself up.

"Maybe, but my healing kisses are only for you, Becs." She booped Beca's nose and winked before turning around and walking off towards the tour group leaving Beca speechless. Beca had to take a second to compose herself before wiping the lip gloss from her cheek and following the redhead who seemed to be bouncing away.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beca is always getting hurt.


	7. "This Is Nice"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because what's a PP fic without karaoke?

"Stacie just texted me saying they want to go to a karaoke bar."

"I was wondering when someone would mention going to a karaoke bar."

"Yeah I'm surprised we haven't found one to trash yet."

"When do they want to go?"

"In a couple hours." Chloe threw her phone onto her bed.

"Okay.." Beca stared blankly ahead, not looking at anything in particular. "I'm bored."

"I'm tired."

"Me too."

"Wanna take a nap together?" Beca's eyebrows quirked at the question.

"What?" Chloe stepped forward and leaned in closer.

"Do you, Beca Mitchell, want to take a nap with me, Chloe Beale?"

"..Why together?"

"Because it's good for relationships and why the hell not? I could always use a cuddle. Don't be weird, we've slept together before, Beca."

"Heh.." Chloe grabbed Beca's hand not waiting for an answer and led her to the bed. The whole situation made Beca's heart race. She looked down at their hands, then up at the back of Chloe's head, then to the bed that she was being led to. She blushed furiously.

Chloe let go of Beca's hand and began to take off her belt. Beca's throat went tight.

"You better take your shoes off you barbarian." She dropped her belt onto the floor and kicked her flats off.

"Who the hell leaves their shoes on when they take naps?"

"White people."

"We.. are white people. Did you like.. somehow forget that?"

"Yeah but my shoes never touch my bed. Ever.. I am a good white people." Chloe giggled at herself.

"Don't ever say that ever again." Beca bent over to undo her laces. When she looked back up, Chloe was already splayed across the mattress facing away from her.

"Spoon me.. I command it!" Beca kicked off her shoes and crawled into bed settling herself behind the redhead. Chloe reached behind herself blindly for Beca's arm. "Where's your arm? I said spoon me damn it." Beca chuckled lightly. Chloe felt Beca's breath tickle the back of her neck and her ear and it sent chills down her spine. Beca threw her arm over her waist.

"There. Take it." Chloe pulled on her wrist to get her closer and she heard Beca's breathing falter. She leaned back on the girl and closed her eyes as she laid her arm over Beca's. She held onto Beca's thumb and brought their hands close to her chest.

"Comfy?"

"No. Your hair is in my face."

"Deal with it."

Beca brought her other hand up to pull Chloe's hair up, exposing her neck. She slid her arm under Chloe's head when all the hair was out of the way and scooted in even closer. Chloe's heart skipped a beat and she slowly inhaled a deep breath to settle her nerves. She let herself sink deeper into Beca's arms.

Beca couldn't help staring at Chloe's bare neck. It was so close, she could just lean over and kiss it. It could be so easy to just press her lips on that one little spot behind Chloe's jaw and under her ear. The spot where Beca knew Chloe just had to be ticklish. She could just kiss that one tiny spot and then she could die happy.

"Better?"

"Mhm." Beca let out a breath and saw Chloe's neck tense. She smiled a devious one before taking a deep breath and blowing oh so softly onto the nape of Chloe's neck. She grinned when she saw the muscles tense again. So she blew again, this time though she leaned in a little closer.

Chloe's sensitive skin could only take so much teasing. So she threw her head back to rub her neck on her shoulder to relieve the itch. But Beca was close, way too close since they bumped heads when Chloe tilted her head back.

"My face!" Beca wanted to rub her forehead but both her hands were occupied so she settled for nuzzling her face into Chloe's shoulder. Chloe reached back and cradled Beca's head in her shoulder as she laughed.

"I'm sorry.. your breath was tickling me."

"I don't deserve this. I'm a good person. Why do I have to deal with this shit?" Beca laid her head back down and closed her eyes.

"Because you love me."

"Get.. the fuck out."

"Night, Becs."

"..Night, Chlo."

* * *

"All you losers are going to eat shit today. All you bitches are going to be speechless. Just like last time." Amy was skipping as she led the group to the karaoke bar.

"Uh huh. Last time you humped the stage and got us kicked out." Cynthia Rose chided.

"But you were speechless right?!" Amy stopped skipping to turn around and give Cynthia Rose an expectant look.

"Well, she's not wrong." Offered Beca from the back of the group.

"I'm never wrong. Like seriously, one time I put the wrong answer on an exam on purpose just so it didn't look like I was cheating, which I wasn't- I'm totally smarter than Steven Spielberg-"

"You mean Stephen Hawking?" Chloe insisted.

"Yeah sure that too, but the thing is, I still got it right."

"I think that's just because the answer wasn't what you thought it was." Stacie countered.

"Stop talking!" Amy audibly gasped before yelling again. "We're here! It's so cute! We're gonna totally trash this place." Amy quickly swung the door open and darted inside.

The bar was cozy and homey, a little old place filled with locals. The bellas felt out of place but that didn't stop them from requesting songs. The girls occupied two tables front and center and ordered two beer pitchers.

"This place is so cute." Chloe said quietly to Beca beside her.

"I know right? Its so tiny and cozy. Too bad Amy's going to scare off all the locals." Chloe giggled. It was music to Beca's ears, she loved it when Chloe giggled, especially when she was the one to cause it. It was one of the few things that could warm her tiny, fragile, shriveled up heart.

"Is a.. eh.. Fat Amy here?" The barkeep was clearly uncomfortable announcing the odd name.

"Right here, bitch!" She quickly shot up from her seat to sprinted onto the tiny stage. "Okay, I'm going to take it back to the classics with this one so enjoy and you're welcome." She nodded to the man who was controlling the machine.

Beca and Chloe both gasped at each other as the song started to play. They knew exactly what song it was and how absolutely explicit it was.

"I don't know if this is going to be absolutely amazing or the worst experience of my life." Chloe whispered closely to Beca's ear.

"Probably both." Beca offered, eyes glued to the girl on stage who began to sing.

"Slow motion for me, slow motion for me, moving slow motion for me."

Stacie stood up wide eyed when she recognized the song.

"Slow motion for me, slow motion for me, moving slow motion for me. Uhh! I like it like that she working that back I don't know how to act! Slow motion for me, slow motion for me, slow motion for me moving slow motion for me!"

"Oh my god, she's really doing it." Stacie stared in disbelief at the brave, brave Tasmanian girl and yelled to her "Yes, queen!" Amy pointed at her appreciatively. She laughed to herself and sat back down to enjoy her drink. "She's so fucking stupid."

It had been the longest four minutes of each and every one of the bella's lives. Between the vulgar lyrics and the amp groping, Beca couldn't understand why they hadn't been kicked out yet. Maybe because the locals hadn't fully understood the lyrics? Either way Beca knew that they had to turn it down a notch, she was relieved to find out that Chloe was next.

Chloe quickly shuffled to the stage bashfully, Beca thought it was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

"Hi." She chuckled. "I'm going to sing Johnnyswim's Adelina. I uh.. I hope you guys like it." She bit her lip and quickly shot Beca a look before closing her eyes. The music began to play and Beca leaned forward in her chair, wanting to see **everything**.

"Waiting, waiting out at sea, dreaming you're at home for me. Armed with grace, you're braced with beauty. Ooh still holding on for me." She opened her eyes and quickly found Beca's. "Darling can't you see that you're my sea and sun? Oh, the battle rages but the war is won. Adeliiina, Adeliiina, Adelina, oh, there's hope for us." Beca's surroundings seemed to disappear as she watched the redhead. She didn't look away. She didn't blink. She thought she died a little when Chloe winked at her. "Waiting, waiting by the shore, no fear, no worries of the storm. A fire so warm and bright inside you say she ain't been burned before." Beca couldn't tear her eyes away, Chloe was in her element and it was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. "Darling can't you see that you're my sea and sun? Oh, the battle rages but the war is won. Adeliiina, Adeliiina, Adelina, oh, there's hope for us." Chloe shot Beca another look, this time with a grin and a raise of her eyebrows. Beca smiled widely at Chloe, finally realizing that the song was directed to her. She chuckled softly to herself and bit her lip. "So just keep waiting, your hand is fading. Yeah, I know it's raining but the sun's still shining high. And I know it's a wager, waiting on an anchor, but the sea won't overtake you, you won't be let down. Nooo, nooo, nooo, you won't be let down. Noo, you won't be let down. Daarling can't you see that you're my sea and sun? Oh, the battle rages but the war is won, Adeliiina, Adeliiinaa, Adelina, oh, there's hope for us. Adelina, oh there's hope."

Beca could not let Chloe get away with that song.

When Chloe finished, Beca waited for her to get back so she could whisper in her ear.

"I see what you're doing, Beale. But know that it is I who will come out of this as the victor." She spun around and literally jumped onto the stage.

It was quiet. She lifted her chin and puffed out her chest confidently. She heard Chloe's distant chuckle and she smiled as the song started.

Chloe watch closely as Beca let the percussion of the song flow through her body.

"Babyy. I know you feel alone.. Spend these days just wondering what you call home." She looked to Chloe staring daggers into the redhead. "Babyy.. I want you for my own. Whispered calls to you have to hang up the phone." Beca let out a breath and quickly sucked in another, making sure it was picked up through the microphone. "And I'll give you more, tell me what you want more of, and I'll wait for you, baby if you want my love, and I'll take you on if I can't control myself and I'll lay yoouu down. Baby if you want my love, my love, my love, my love, my loove." Chloe could swear she fainted somewhere in the middle of the song. When Beca was done she couldn't speak, the image of Beca rolling her body as she sang replayed in her head more times than she could count. Beca had managed to hit every single note of the song perfectly and it was hypnotizing to Chloe. But Chloe was not going to lose today, she knew she had to end it then and there.

"Your move." Beca winked at Chloe daring her to try and top her. But Chloe was competitive. And Beca knew it. So she wasn't surprised when Chloe took Flo's turn.

"I was going to sing Como La Flor! Maldita sea.."

Beca's heart dropped when she recognized the song that started playing through the speakers. She knew she was a goner when Chloe shot her a knowing grin.

"You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you say, I'm talking loud, not saying much. I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet. You shoot me down, but I get up."

By the time Chloe was finished, it was Beca who was now speechless. She glared at her as she hopped off the stage and strode over confidently.

"Checkmate." She grinned at the wide eyed brunette as she sipped her beer, quenching her thirst momentarily.

"That's cheating, Chlo. You cheated."

"How was that cheating?"

"You-you sang the song! That song is sacred! You cheated. You can't do that." The brunette shook her head angrily.

"I didn't cheat, Becs. You could have sung it too but you didn't and I know if you had the chance, you would have. I just.. took it before you did."

"I so wouldn't have. That song is sacred. I wouldn't have taken advantage of it's power like that. You cheated." Beca slumped in her chair crossing her arms with a pout on her face. Chloe couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, Becs I cheated. I'm sorry. Are you happy now?" She leaned forward to place a hand on the younger girl's arm only to receive a glare from her.

"No, because you cheated."

Beca couldn't stay mad at Chloe for long. It had only taken Chloe a total of 7 minutes to get the brunette laughing again.

 

A couple of hours had passed and Beca couldn't take the stuffiness of the little bar anymore, so she excused herself. She stepped outside into the cool, dark, crisp air and took a deep breath as she glanced to her right, spotting a beautiful fountain.

"Ooh la la." She whispered to herself as she approached the fountain. She glanced at her surroundings to see if anyone was around, satisfied when she found no one. And so, she kicked off her chuck's, pulled off her socks and stuck them into the now vacant shoes and rolled up her jeans. Climbing over the fountain ledge, she quietly hummed 'Titanium' to herself, stopping when she finally got herself settled with her feet in the water. She stared at the figure of the man who stood atop a shell blowing a horn.

She marveled at the sight until she felt Chloe settle in beside her, soaking her own feet in the water. No words were spoken as they admired the view.

It took a few minutes for Beca to hesitantly speak up.

"..I broke up with Jesse." She literally felt the breeze in the air the redhead had caused when she swung her head to face her.

"When? Just now?" Chloe was trying hard to speak as softly as she could.

"Yesterday." Beca flinched as Chloe jerked to lean in closer.

"What?! Becs, why didn't you tell me? I could've been there for you."

"I didn't need you to be there for me." It sounded a lot harsher than she meant it to be. She saw Chloe recoil when she said it. "That came out **so** wrong. But here.. The thing is, I'm fine.. I'm.. indifferent. And I feel like the biggest asshole ever for not feeling remorse but.. it's true. Me and him.. We're better off as friends." Chloe frowned at Beca.

"What do you mean indifferent? You just broke up with Jesse. That's three years, Beca."

"Yeah, I know.. and I'm sad that it didn't work out but, Chlo.. I didn't love him. I mean I did.. I do. But not the way I was supposed to. It's weird because I don't feel like it's end, it feels a lot more like it's just the beginning of.. I don't know, something new?" Beca could only stare at the water trickling down the fountain as she said it. She felt Chloe's gaze on her for what seemed like an eternity before feeling the redheads arm wrap around her shoulders. Beca rested her head on Chloe's shoulder and they stayed like that for a while until Chloe began to sing.

"Idir ann is idir as, idir thuaidh is idir theas, idir thiar is idir thoir,idir am is idir áit." Beca looked up to watch the redhead who had her eyes closed and brows furrowed as she sang. "Casann sí dhom, Amhrán na farraige, suaimhneach nó ciúin, ag cuardú go damanta. Mo ghrá," Beca didn't know what the fuck Chloe was saying but she knew it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard in her life. "Idir gaoth is idir tonn, idir tuilleadh is idir gann, casann sí dhom, Amhrán na Farraige, suaimhneach nó ciúin, ag cuardú go damanta. Idir cósta, idir cléibh, idir mé is idir mé féin, tá mé i dtiúin."

"What the fuck was that, Chlo?! You speak Gaelic?! I mean I knew you were part Irish but damn. That was like.. actually the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed." Chloe softly shoved Beca away as she humbly chuckled. "Seriously! What the fuck was that?"

"I don't speak it, I only know that song because my mom used to sing it to me whenever I needed comfort. I thought it was fitting for the moment." Chloe blushed when she realized Beca wasn't looking away. "What?" Beca finally averted her gaze back onto the fountain.

"Nothing.. I love your mom though how is she?"

"She's fine.. and she loves you too." They smiled at each other before turning to the fountain again.

"This is nice." Beca whispered.

"It is isn't it?"

 ****  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg so I have a crapload of song lyrics in here so here are the songs in order.
> 
> Amy's song : Juvenile - Slow Motion  
> Chloe's 1st song : Johnnyswim - Adelina  
> Beca's song : Cathedrals - Want My Love  
> Chloe's 2nd song : David Guetta ft. Sia - Titanium (did I really even need to list this one?)  
> Chloe's Gaelic song : Lisa Hannigan - Amhrán Na Farraige (I dont speak Gaelic but the song is really REALLY pretty. There's like 3 different versions of it and I have all three. So idk. if you're open minded you could go check that out. There's actually an English version but I thought it would be more interesting if Chloe sang in Gaelic.)
> 
> &yo! Aubrey is going to be in the next ch.!


	8. "Like a Cheerio"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if I should have put a warning on this chapter so I left it out. Just so you know. It's nothing serious.. I hope..

Chloe stood above Beca's sleeping body grinning widely. This is going to be great, it's going to hurt.. but it's going to be great. She took a deep breath before she began bouncing on the bed, softly at first but with increasing force each time until she was jumping. She waited for Beca to begin stirring before she pounced onto the smaller girl, jumping into the air and landing hard.

"UHNF!" Beca's eyes shot open to find the redhead's face barely an inch away from her's. "What the fuck, Chlo?! That fucking hurt!" Chloe's smile only grew wider.

"You gotta wake up, Becs." Beca pressed herself deeper into the mattress, trying to distance herself from the bubbly girl.

"Hell no. What time is it like.. 3am?!" She pulled the covers back up and retreated into the warm darkness wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Chloe sighed, she was still on top of Beca so she poked through the sheets a few times. "Ow! That’s my nose! Please.. just five more minutes. Twenty more minutes, that's all I need. Just give me one more hour Chloe, then I’ll be ready to go." Chloe could only sigh as she rolled off of Beca and the bed. She walked over to the end of the bed with an evil grin on her face.

"You asked for it, Becs." She grabbed the covers and pulled as hard as she could. She giggled at the sight of the younger girl that had shriveled herself into a fetal position, desperately grabbing for pillows to cover herself.

"Oh my god! You can't just do that! You could have sent my body into shock for fuck’s sake!"

"You need to wake up, Becs. It's 8." Beca propped herself up on her arms and squinted at the redhead at the end of her bed who had her arms crossed. She pondered on what might have been so important that she had to lose her much needed sleep for it and when nothing came to mind, she threw her arms up and laid back down.

"..... Por que?!" It came out a lot louder than she thought it would but she didn't care, she was frustrated.

"Because! We have tickets for The Vatican Museum today!" Beca sat back up eyeing the redhead.

"That's today?!"

"Uh, yeah Becs." Chloe raised her eyebrows and nodded at the pouting brunette.

Beca whimpered. She literally whimpered before laying back down again and bouncing her fists on the mattress.

"It's sooo early.." She blinked slowly at the ceiling feeling the need to cry.

"I know, beb. I know.Twenty minutes, the girls are already waiting for us." Chloe patted Beca's knee before walking off to finish putting herself together.

 

* * *

"It's kind of giving me anxiety. There's so much.. I don't know, what's the word?.. Distress? Agony? But that's good right? Art is supposed to make you feel feelings and stuff?" Beca glanced at Chloe for reassurance. ".. I like it. But what the hell happened to their arms? And what did he ever do to the snake?" The two bella co leaders stood in front of the sculpture called 'Laocoön and His Sons'. Both their arms were crossed and their heads were tilted in contemplation, Beca thought it was hilarious that they actually looked like they knew what they were doing there.

"Yeah it's giving me anxiety too. It's beautiful really but it's really.. negative."

"What are you an aura reader now? Do you see negative energies emanating from it? Do you read palms too or uh.. those tarot card things? 'Cause I feel like something big is going to happen to me soon and I'd really like to-" Chloe lightly shoved Beca as she chuckled.

"Shut up, you know what I mean. It's just really sad and it's making me sad and I'm not liking it." Chloe shook her head. "I'm a very empathetic person, you should know that." Beca glanced again at Chloe, then back at the art piece, then back at Chloe again.

".. It's a **sculpture** , Chloe."

"Yeah and that just goes to show you how great these artists were." Chloe quickly spun and walked off, not wanting to look at the sculpture anymore. Beca muttered something along the lines of “Empathy for sculptures?!” before quickly running after the redhead, afraid she was going to get lost in the crowd.

****  
  


"What's this one called again?"

"Um.. 'Charity with Four Children'." Beca nodded with a frown on her face.

"Are.. are those two making out down there?" They both tilted their heads in unison as they stared at the lower half of the art piece.

"..Huh.. That's a little weird."

"Seriously. Those are babies making out."

"Maybe they're.. I don't know sharing food?"

"Nope. They're totally making out."

"Yeahh.. They're making out."

"What kind of disgusting, underaged po-" Chloe put a hand over Beca's mouth as fast as she could.

"Do not!.. Do not finish that sentence." Beca's eyebrows shot up and she muffled a “Fine.” through Chloe's hand. Chloe pulled her hand back and brought her eyes back to the sculpture.

"PORN!"

"BECA!"

****  
  


"I like this one." This time they stood in front of 'Apollo Belvedere'.

"Yeah, me too. He uh.." Beca put on a straight face before speaking again. "He seems pretty confident about.." She gestured in a circular motion towards the naked man's groin region, "..all that." Chloe smirked, not missing a beat.

"He should be." A quiet moment passed as neither of the girls wanted be the first to laugh. Beca was the first to let out a giggle causing the redhead to follow suit. They took a moment just to snicker at each other before composing themselves.

"He shouldn't be though 'cause it's kind of really.. really small."

"Beca! Don't be rude! Besides.. it's broken, dummy."

"What? No it's not. It's just.. really small."

"Beca.. his penis broke off. Look at it." Beca squinted at the sculpture. "I mean what kind of penis looks like that? That's like.. like a cheerio.. Oh my god is that what Jesse's penis looks like?! No wonder you broke up with him. You've never seen a proper penis before, have you?!"

"Oh my god, no!"

"I mean, no judgement here. You deserve to be sexually satisfied, Beca. And if Jesse couldn't do that for you then that's a perfectly okay reason for you to break up with him. And penises aren't all that great anyways.. You're not missing much."

"Please stop." Beca was trying to be serious but she couldn't hide her smile when Chloe leaned in to whisper.

"You deserve to be sexually satisfied, Becs." She felt Chloe’s breath on her face.

"You are being very inappropriate."

"Inappropriate. Equals. Fun." And with that she turned and walked away leaving Beca practically on fire.

She quickly jogged after the redhead and fell into step with her.

"Just a minute ago you were lecturing me about the inappropriateness of saying 'porn' in public and now you're saying it's fun?"

"You know, Beca.. there's this thing that's called having a change of heart. You should look it up some time."

"Uh huh.. right after I look up bipolar disorder."

"Bipolar disorder ain't no joke, Beca."

"I didn't say it was!"

 

* * *

The girls stayed at the museum until it closed at 4pm, they decided to retire for the day since they had been walking "all fucking day" as Beca put it.

Beca was logging onto her Netflix account on her laptop as she waited for Chloe to get out of the shower. She finally found Sense8 and she was just about to click it when Chloe dashed out of the bathroom.

"Stop what you are doing right now."

"..But what about Netflix, Chlo."

"No. Aubrey just texted me, she said she wants to Skype."

"But... **Sense8** , Chlo." Chloe could only glare at Beca until the brunette finally gave up.

"She said she has some news so Sense8 can wait." Chloe quickly dropped herself onto the couch beside the sulky brunette and pulled the laptop onto her thighs. Beca occupied herself by poking a freckle she found on Chloe's arm as the redhead loaded up Skype.

"Stop it."

"No.. Look at this freckle. It's shaped like a heart."

"What?"

"Look at it." Chloe twisted her arm and looked over her shoulder. Beca couldn't resist when she flicked her finger across Chloe's face.

"Are you kidding me, Beca?!" Beca felt a drop of water from Chloe's wet hair land on her hand and she quickly wiped it on the redhead’s arm.

"You're making me wet, Chlo." Beca muttered before realizing what she said. Both their eyes widened at each other. "I am... **so** sorry." Chloe smirked before responding.

"It's fine Becs, it doesn't sound so bad when you think about it does it?" Chloe gave Beca a wink and Beca choked wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Heh.." Beca fought back the blush that was appearing on her face and she swallowed hard. "Okay but seriously, can you look at it." Chloe looked over her shoulder again, only to get her face flicked again.

"Beca!" She punched Beca's leg a little harder than she usually would.

"Ouch!"

"That's what you get. Why is Skype taking so long?!"

"Hotel wifi always sucks. But seriously can you look at this freckle? It really does look like a heart, I promise I won't flick you again..or may my vocal cords be ripped out by wolves." Chloe squinted at Beca before looking over her shoulder once again.

"Becs, that looks nothing like a heart."

"What? Yes it does."

"It's literally just a dot. Seriously, how does that look anything like a heart to you?"

"Just cause you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there." Chloe squinted at her.

"Yes it does. It literally means just that. It doesn't look like a heart. The heart is not there, Beca. Did you seriously just say that?" Beca put a hand to her face.

She leaned down to speak to the freckle. "It's okay little freckle, I still love you even though your mother doesn't." She looked up to glare at Chloe before leaning back. "I'm going to name him. What do you think? Grayson?.. Andrew? Damien? Chloe, help me out here.. Bradley? How do you feel about Jackson?"

"You're so weird."

"Maybe I should shoot for simplicity.. Dave? Paul? You know what? I'm an asshole for assuming it's a boy, maybe it's a girl? It could be a girl you know. If it wants to be a girl it can be a girl. So lets go with gender neutral names then. Taylor? Alex? Jessie?-I take that one back. That's not a good idea."

"Stop it."

"Chloe?" The girls could hear Aubrey on the laptop but only the audio was coming through.

"Bree?! Where are you, babe?!"

Beca scoffed.

_Babe?_

"Can you see me?"

"No, click on the camera icon."

"I know how to work skype, Chloe!" The girls waited for Aubrey's face to pop up. The audio sputtered a few times before her video feed finally came through.

The two bella leaders sat there wide eyed with their jaws practically on the floor staring at the image of Aubrey's hand, or more importantly, the engagement ring on it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one's short and I'm sorry. Also.. Chloe's freckle.


	9. "Don't Do It, Beca"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Badass Beca. That is all.

Beca could swear Chloe's squealing permanently damaged her eardrums. Her ears ringed as she reached over in a desperate attempt to cover the redhead's mouth.

"Chloe! Jesus, calm down! I thought the doctor said you couldn't sing above a G sharp!"

"BREE!!" Chloe grabbed Beca's arm and shook the smaller girl violently. Beca tried to be indifferent but the situation was nothing but happy. And she couldn't help the genuine smile that crept on her face when she looked back at Aubrey on the screen.

"He proposed like 30 minutes ago!"

"How did he do it?! Who was there?! Why the hell didn't he ask me for my blessing?! When will the wedding be?!"

"I was in bed and he just popped it out!"

"Heh.."

"Beca!" Chloe slapped Beca's arm.

"Oh come on! She was asking for it!"

"Shut up! Bree! When is the wedding?!"

"Well he wants to get married as soon as possible and I'm pretty sure I can handle it-" Chloe lunged forward to grab the laptop. Her face was centimeters from the screen.

"Bree! When?!"

"Some time next month!" Chloe fell back and grabbed Beca again.

Beca had to plug her ears when Chloe squealed again. But she was confused when Chloe's squeal did a complete 180 and turned into a whimper.

"Bree.." Beca looked over to find tears streaming down the redhead's soft cheeks.

"Oh my god, Chloe please. You cannot be crying right now." Chloe craned her neck back and fanned herself as she fought the tears back.

"I can't control it, Beca! I’m so happy."

"Chloe, please don't cry."

"Yeah! Listen to Aubrey, you know I can't handle it when you cry."

"Wow. Beca Mitchell is agreeing with me? It must be my lucky day." Beca jabbed a finger at the screen as she frowned.

"You. Shut up! You may be engaged but-but.."

"Okay, Beca don't try too hard, you might pull a muscle. Do you need a break? Chloe, maybe she needs a snack or a nap. You should really learn how to take care of tiny people since you're planning on working with them for a living, Chlo." Beca bit her lip in frustrated defeat as the two older girls laughed.

"Hey Bree, Beca is a big girl now. This morning she got the cereal that was on highest shelf all by herself. Ain't that right Becs?"

"You two are bullies. I hope you know that." Chloe reached over to pinch Beca's already rosy cheek. "And here I thought I was happy for your engagement."

"Aw thank you, Beca." Chloe smiled at their interaction. The sight of her two favorite girls being happy and getting along, it made her cheeks hurt.. but then again, anything that had to do with Beca had her cheeks constantly sore. It was bittersweet.

"Congratulations, Bree." Chloe watched Aubrey's eyes darted a little to the left.

"Thanks, Chlo.." They smiled at each other for what Beca thought was the longest 3 seconds of her life.

"You're happy with Luke.. Right, Bree?" Aubrey's smile faltered for a split second but it was more than enough for Chloe to notice.

"Of course I am Chloe, he's everything I could ever want in a man." Chloe gave her a questioning look as Aubrey put on another smile.

"Um.. Becs can you go get me a donut?"

"What like.. **now**?"

"Please, Becs?" She didn't want to waste any time considering the sudden change in urgency of the situation so she pulled out the puppy dog eyes knowing it was kryptonite to Beca. The brunette couldn't resist for long, Chloe could practically see her melting.

"Ughh!" Beca grabbed the keycard and dragged herself out of the room. Chloe waited for the door to close before turning back to the screen.

"That girl will seriously do anything for you. You could totally capitalize on th-"

"Bree.. You can talk to me. You know that right?"

"Of course I know that, Chlo." Aubrey pushed her hair behind her ears and looked down at the ring on her finger.

"Bree.." Aubrey looked up again to find Chloe's concerned face. "Are you happy with him?" Aubrey huffed out a nervous laugh and shook her head softly.

"Chloe. He's.. the perfect man. And he loves me. And.." She took a breath before speaking again. "We've been together for three years and yeah I'm.. I'm happy with him. He’s great. And.. father loves him."

"Do **you** love him?" Aubrey seemed to be taken back by the question. It took too long for her to answer.

"Y..yes.. Yeah I do, Chloe." Chloe was silent, lost in her thoughts still trying to read Aubrey through the screen. "Don't worry about me, Chlo. I'll be fine. Look I need to go now but I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what?' Chloe? You know what I'm going to ask you."

".. What?"

"I’m going to need a maid of honor, Chloe."

“Go on..”

“You’re seriously going to make me ask?”

“Yes.” Aubrey shook her head and glanced down at her ring again before taking a deep breath.

“Fine. Will you, Chloe Beale, be my maid of honor?”

“Bree.. you don’t even need to ask.”

“You just made me!” Aubrey chuckled at the redhead.

"I already assumed I was."

“I could have asked anyone.”

“Bree, I’m your only friend. You can admit it, I won’t judge you.”

“I have plenty of friends okay? You’re just my favorite.”

“You’re mine too.” Aubrey gasped as she laid a hand on her chest.

“Not Beca?”

“You know damn well that Beca isn’t just a friend to me.”

“When are you going to make your move?! Seriously, Chlo.. It’s been four years!”

“I don’t know.. It’s scary.”

“Yeah..”

“She broke up with Jesse a few days ago.”

“Aca-scuse me?!” Chloe nodded with a tight-lipped smile on her face.

“..I know I should be sad for her and all but I’m just.. so.. happy. And get this! She said she never loved him. She told me that, Bree!”

“She’s asking for it. You gotta give it to her, Chlo.”

“Don’t get my hopes up.”

“Chloe.. You are so blind.. You better figure it out soon before someone gets in the way again.”

“.. I know..”

"..I love you, Chlo."

"I love you too, Bree. But wait, back to the whole wedding thing, how exactly am I supposed to help plan a wedding that's going to take place next month when I'll be stuck here for another like.. week and a half?"

"Chlo, don't you know that you can do anything you put your mind to? Plus, I'm here too. And us together? We are unstoppable.. I know we can do it." Aubrey smiled sweetly. "And I don't want anything too big anyways, just close friends and family. Oh and tell all the original bellas that I want them all to be bridesmaids." They smiled at each other, well.. the screen anyway.

"You got it, Bree. And I am honored to be your maid of honor. I won't let you down." Chloe saluted to her and they bid their farewells.

 

* * *

 

"She's getting.. married? To Luke? When did she tell you?" Stacie peered into her glass as she sat, slumped in the barstool of the pub. She watched the little bubbles float from the bottom all the way to the top, only to pop once they got to the surface, she thought it was ironic but she couldn't really go into philosophy at that specific moment. Especially with the news of Aubrey's engagement.

"Yup! We skyped with her last night." Beca was happy for the former captain, she had no reason not to be. Sure Aubrey was evil to her when she was still at Barden but they had moved past their differences and now, Beca would even go so far as to say that they were good friends. Stacie quickly pulled herself together and put on a smile.

"That's great! When's the wedding? Are we all invited?"

"Next month. And yeah we're all bridesmaids, except for Flo I guess since they don't really know each other that well.."

"Next month? That's.. really soon."

"I know right? But hey if they're in love then whatever.. more power to 'em."

"Yeah, I guess." Beca watched as Chloe approached them from the jukebox.

"Hey what are you guys talking about?"

"Aubrey gettin' hitched." Chloe's eyes widened. Beca watched Chloe's expression go from bubbly bundle of happiness to dixie chicks serious within a blink of an eye.

"Hey Stace, can you uh give Beca and I a moment, please?"

"..Yeah uh.. sure I'll just.. be over there." She pointed to an empty booth and shuffled over. Chloe quickly took the previously occupied seat and turned to the smaller girl.

"What's up, Buttercup? Or are you more of a Blossom cause of your red hair? Oh my god am I Buttercup?!.. Sweeet. Buttercup is the bes-"

"She doesn't love him, Becs."

".. What?"

"I saw it in her eyes! She doesn't love him, oh my god, Becs, what am I going to do?!" Beca shook her head and squinted her eyes as she tried to comprehend what Chloe was telling her.

"Wait-wh-slow down."

"Becs!" Chloe grasped Beca by the shoulders, stared her down and whispered closely. "She. Does. Not. Love. Him."

"How do you even know that?"

"Beca!" She shoved Beca a little and put her face in her hands taking in a deep breath. She looked up again, this time with tears in her eyes. "Bree is like my sister okay? I know her! I know when she's happy, I know when she's sad, I know when she's having doubts! I know when she thinks she's making a mistake and Beca! There is no doubt in my mind that she thinks-knows that she is making a mistake by marrying him!"

"Okay! Okay. But.." Beca placed a hand on Chloe's and squeezed softly. "Chloe.. there isn't anything we could do about it. She needs to figure that out by herself."

"Beca, we have to do something."

"I-like what, Chlo? We can't sabotage her wedding! It's her wedding! She said yes!"

"I know that! But.. Becs she's going to regret it."

"Chloe listen to me. She said yes, so it's out of our hands okay? If she really doesn't love him, truly love him, then.. then she'll figure it out. You gotta have faith in her okay? Aubrey's smart." Chloe sniffled.

"Okay.. Okay." She wiped her eyes as Beca put an arm around her. "God I hope she figures it out."

"She will."

* * *

 

"What's up with those two?" Amy pointed over to the booth where Stacie and Chloe were sitting sullenly.

"Just.. drama I guess?" Beca took a sip from her beer.

"Hm. Well, Aubrey’s getting married? Whaaat? I'm happy for the aca-bitch."

"Me too."

"I thought she was going to be alone forever considering her you know.. dominant nature and stress puking and general assholeness."

"She's not that bad Amy, and that's coming from me. And stop talking shit! We’re her bridesmaids!"

"Hey, I love that hoe, I’m not talking real shit. I’m talking friendly shit.. It’s diffferent." Beca smiled at Amy as Jessica and Ashley approached.

"Hey guys. You want to play patty cake? If you mess up, you have to take a shot."

"It gets harder the more you play."

* * *

 

"Why are you so sad, Stace?"

"What?.. I'm not sad." Chloe sighed but held her gaze. "What, Chloe? I'm not sad."

"Fine. Miserable? Unhappy? Gloomy? Dismal? Heartbroken?" Stacie's posture faltered on the last one but Chloe had her head in her hands now.

"I'm fine, Chlo. Don't worry about me." Chloe met Stacie's eyes when she said it. She thought about how Aubrey basically said the exact same thing the previous night but before she could say anything, Stacie was up and walking towards the bar.

"Hey. You want some company?" She looked over to find a tall bearded man leaning on the booth seat.

"No, thank you." Chloe took a sip of her beer looking away.

"Aw come on, baby. Don’t be like that. I could show you a good time." He took a seat across from her looking her over. Chloe had never felt more naked. She looked over to the bar and watched Beca trying to keep up with Jessica playing patty cake.

"I'm not interested."

"I can make you interested." Chloe swung her head and glared back at the man.

"Excuse me?" They stared each other down. It was the longest five seconds of Chloe's life.

"You okay, Chlo?" She looked up to find Beca furiously scowling at the man.

"She's fine." The man smiled at the two. A smile that made both girls shudder.

"I didn't ask you. Did I?" Chloe could see that Beca was clenching her jaw. She watched as Beca looked down at her with so much in her eyes. Anger. Fear. Concern. Love? "..Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Becs, lets just go back to the bar." Beca held out her hand to help Chloe up from her seat when the tall man stood.

"Stop man." Beca glared at the tall man.

"I'm doing anything I'm just talkin' to the girl." Beca pulled on Chloe's hand leading her away. "Come to think of it, you're welcome to join us, you're pretty small. You both are. I like em small.. and tight."

Beca stopped in her tracks grasping tightly onto Chloe's hand. She slowly turned around to face Chloe who was shaking her head.

"Don't do it, Beca."

Beca sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"I have to." She let go of Chloe's hand and walked over to the tall man. Everyone in the bar was watching them now. She took a deep breath.

"Do you mind repeating that for me?" The man smiled and leaned down a little to make sure she heard.

"I saaiid-UHNF!"

Beca Mitchell played soccer since she was 6 years old. She played the sport for a total 8 years until she started high school and decided that soccer included way too much running. In fact, when she was in the 5th grade, she was sent to the principal's office because she had kicked a ball into Kevin Jensen's face from 20 feet away, breaking his nose. They believed her when she said it was an accident.. of course they did. But Kevin Jensen was being rude to her friend that day and Beca was just lending a helping hand to someone in need, but the principal didn't need to know that, no one did really.

And so, after 8 years of soccer, it was safe to say that Beca Mitchell knew how to kick some balls. And she knew how to elbow the man's face in when he hunched over in pain, that she learned from years of men just being complete assholes near her. It wasn't her fault they were always being dicks around her, she was just doing the world a favor. And this guy was being a dick, so she didn't hesitate when she spit on the bleeding man who was now curled into a ball on the floor.

"Beca!" Chloe jumped forward to pull her back as she wiped her mouth.

"Beca fucking Rousey!" Amy poured the rest of her beer over the man as she danced.

"Shit!.. Fuck!"

"Ay dios mio!"

"Okay I think we should probably maybe leave."

"You're a disgrace to all the men in the world! I was having a good fucking day! And you ruined it!" Beca yelled as Chloe dragged her out of the bar and into the cool crisp air with the rest of the bellas following closely behind.

"Beca!" The rest of the girls stood behind Chloe in silence. They were afraid for Beca, a scolding from Chloe was nothing to laugh about.

"What?!"

".. That was.. you can't jus-"

"He deserved that Chloe, and a lot more if I'm being honest! Castration maybe?" Chloe could only stare, there was so much adrenaline pumping through her veins, she was getting all hot and bothered. And what Beca just did was.. hot. Really fucking hot. "Are you okay?"

"What?"

"Are.." Beca glanced around unsurely before hesitantly squinting at her. "Are you.. okay?"

"What do you mean am I okay?! You just kicked some guy in the balls and elbowed his face in and you're asking me if I'm okay?!"

"Well.. yeah?" Chloe was staring again.

"..We need to leave before they call the cops or something." She grabbed Beca's hand and led the group back to the hotel. Beca followed compliantly like a child in for a whooping. But then again, maybe that wouldn't be so bad?

 ****  
  
  



	10. "She Would Love You"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #BechloeIsReal guys!

Chloe was already in the shower when Beca finally noticed the blood trickling down her arm. But she figured the older girl was angry at her so she waited anxiously on the couch for her to be done, which took about 10 minutes.

Chloe stepped out in nothing but a white bathrobe, her lips and cheeks were rosy. Beca had previously thought her eyes couldn't get any bluer.

She was so wrong.

"I'm bleeding, Chloe."

"What?! Where?"

"It's not that bad.. probably. But I think it needs attention." Chloe was by Beca's side so fast that the brunette could swear she teleported.

"Why didn't you tell me? Lemme see." She held Beca's arm softly as she turned it over to look at the elbow. She had an inch long gash that had swelled. "Jesus.. Come on there's better lighting in the bathroom." She kept her hand clasped on Beca's as she led them to the bathroom.

Beca was surprised to find that the bathroom wasn't as steamy as a sauna. She wondered why Chloe seemed to be glowing.

Chloe slapped the counter telling Beca to sit as she got the first aid kit. Beca quietly hopped onto the countertop, she could finally give the wound a good look now that she was in the restroom.

"Ew. What the hell is that flakey stuff." She squeaked a little when Chloe twisted her arm to get a better look.

"You chipped his tooth, Becs." She watched closely as Chloe ripped the antibacterial wipe from it's wrapper with her teeth. She swore everything went in slow motion when Chloe spit out the plastic from her rosy lips.

".. Did I?" Chloe nodded and Beca smiled slowly. ".. Good." Chloe rolled her eyes. "..Are you mad at me?" She watched as the expression on Chloe's face softened.

"..No."

"Are you sure?" Beca winced at the pain as Chloe softly cleaned the cut.

"Honestly, Becs. You can't just go around beating people up." Beca scoffed.

"I just did, didn't I?"

"Becs." Chloe warned causing Beca's shoulders to slump again. "..I'm glad you did though. He was an ass." Chloe smiled up at Beca before focusing again on cleaning the wound.

Beca watched as Chloe furrowed her brow and crinkled her nose in concentration. For some reason in that moment she became fascinated by the lines of Chloe's face, specifically the scar on her forehead. She whispered quietly to herself making sure Chloe couldn't make out the words.

"Every line on your face is a beautiful maze for my eyes to trace."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just a song that's been stuck in my head." She smiled at Chloe who was staring up at her with her eyebrow quirked, she was desperate to change the subject. "You never told me how you got that scar." Beca reached forward and laid a single finger on it, feeling the soft skin underneath her fingertip. She dropped her hand and looked into Chloe's bright eyes. Those eyes that seemed to get bluer every time she looked into them.

"Do you really want to know? It's not that interesting."

"Of course I do.. ouch."

"Sorry.. It's actually a little like what happened at the bar. Annoying guy being stupid and all that."

"Guys suck sometimes.. Come on, tell me.." Chloe carefully stuck a band-aid on the cut and stood straight up to speak.

"Okay, so well you know that I'm a little crazy right?" Beca smirked.

"A little?"

"Shut up! I'm not gonna tell you anymore!" Chloe began to turn when Beca grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She dropped Chloe's hand when she realized the brazenness of the action. They both blushed a little but neither noticed.

"No! No, please? I'm sorry." Chloe swallowed hard before continuing.

"Okay well I'm a little crazy now so I'm sure you can imagine me at 7 years old?" Chloe gave Beca an expectant look and Beca laughed at the image of a cute little 7 year old Chloe Beale jumping around on couches and beds and tables and everything else in between. "Well, there was this kid on my street,  **Christian Lowe**." Chloe spit out the name. "He was.." she sucked in a deep breath as she searched her mind for the right word.

"A dick?"

"..Yes." Beca smiled. Chloe stepped closer and placed her hands on the counter on each side of Beca.

Beca's heart was pounding at the close proximity but she didn't avert her gaze. Not that it was hard for her anyways, those damn eyes were hypnotizing. Everything about her was hypnotizing. But this was different. This was Chloe Beale. In nothing but a bathrobe. Messy, damp hair. In nothing but a bathrobe. Cheeks and lips as pink as ever. In nothing but a bathrobe. Eyes bluer than the sky on a clear summer day..

In nothing but a fucking bathrobe.

"Also he had like the nastiest teeth like ever."

"Chloe!"

"I'll get back to that. Anyways, it was summer and I had a bunch of people at my house because we were the only ones who had a slip n' slide."

"Wow I bet you were the talk of the town." Chloe slapped Beca's knee and continued.

"I was. Especially after that day. Okay so Christian was there because my mom made me invite him." Beca nodded understandingly. "And all day he was just.. just being a-"

"Dick?"

"Yes!" Beca laughed at how frustrated Chloe was getting, she was so lost in the story it was kind of inspiring in a way. "Well my neighbor, Wesley was like one of my best friends at the time. Seriously, nicest person ever. And he was just a little bit on the chubby side, but you know that's okay. You don't need to call someone out on that. You know?" Beca stared closely at Chloe's face watching the muscles constantly change directions to form at first her usual dazzling smile to her rarely seen look of frustration.

"Mhm."

"Well Christian, being the..  **dick**  he was.." Beca audibly gasped and Chloe responded by putting a hand to her face.

"Shut up. He was making fun of Wesley saying he had boobs. And that's like..really pathetic you know? And so I walked up to him and I got in his stupid face and I said 'Hey! Christian, boobs are the best!' And I sort of, kind of.. maybe headbutted him." Beca choked.

"You..  **headbutted**  him?"

"Yeah. And I was a lot shorter than him so his nasty teeth caught my forehead."

"You  **headbutted**  him.."

"Yeah, Becs that's what I said." Beca's eyes widened at the image of a cute little Chloe Beale taking down a neighborhood bully with nothing but her head. She smiled.

"What is up with you always headbutting people?..And why didn't you just punch him?!"

"I don't know.. I just went on instinct. You should know I'm anything but predictable, Becs."

"Did he cry? Please tell me he cried."

"Yeah apparently the force of my head made him like.. I guess bite down on his tongue because he was in the process of sticking it out when I did it. And yeah he got like this really deep cut on his tongue so he cried and he couldn't speak properly for like over a week. It was great."

"You seriously told him boobs are the best?"

"Yeah, I mean.. I knew in about 5 years time he would be worshipping them anyways so-"

"Chloe!" Beca pushed on Chloe's shoulder, wincing at the painful movement in her elbow. "That was seriously the best story I have ever heard.. You're my hero, Chlo. You're the real MVP." Beca bumped her fist on her chest with an approving frown on her face as she nodded her head. "Reminds me of when I broke this kid's nose in 5th grade." Chloe's eyes widened.

"You didn't."

"I so did. Kicked a soccer ball in his face."

"On purpose?!"

"Yeah. He was a bully." Chloe nudged Beca's waist.

"Look at us! Providing justice to the little guys before even hitting puberty."

"Yeah, we are some damn good people, Beale."

Chloe smiled up at Beca before stepping into her bubble and wrapping her arms around her.

"Thanks, Becs."

"Umm for what exactly?"

"For beating that guy up."

"Who said I beat him up for you? He called me small.. you know damn well how I feel about that." Chloe smiled sweetly at her as she pulled back from the hug. "..You could have just headbutted him I honestly don't know why I was even in that situation."

"That guy was tall though. I would have just ended up headbutting his ribs."

"I know right! He was at least 6 feet." Chloe leaned even closer, their noses were practically touching.

"Beca.. you took down a giant."

"I'm pretty badass right?" Chloe watched as Beca's eyes quickly darted back and forth between her eyes and then once to her lips.

"Uh.. yeah. Like.. so badass." Chloe turned to exit the restroom afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would lose the little self control she had left.

"Are you hungry? Because taking down giant assholes for fun works up a real appetite." Beca hopped off the counter and followed Chloe to the couch.

"Yeah I'm kind of starving. What do you want to eat?"

"I don't know. I feel like we should celebrate for doing the world a favor and teaching that guy a lesson."

"You're right.. we could get wine!"

"Ooh.. yes. But wine alone will not silence this beast." She pointed to her stomach. "So what will it be, ?"

"I don't know let's just go find a restaurant and get something to go so we can come back here and chill."

"You and me, Beale." Beca shook her head and furrowed her brows."We are so in sync it warms my heart."

"I know, beb. Let me put some actual clothes on first then we can go."

"Right. Can't have a naked Chloe Beale running around for everyone to see." Chloe chuckled at Beca as she grabbed her clothes and turned back to the bathroom. Beca waited for the door to completely close before mumbling to herself. "Naked Chloe Beale is for my eyes only."

 

* * *

 

"Pasta is so so great."

"It is! It is so hyped up but it deserves it! Pasta deserves all the hype it gets, Beca!"

"It does!.. but we probably shouldn't be eating this at 2 A.M."

The girls had found a little restaurant a block from the hotel and they settled for one order of seafood pasta and a bottle of red wine. They were sitting on the couch cross legged facing each other with the container between them and an already half empty bottle of wine on the coffee table. Both of their eyelids were starting to get heavy.

"Yeah, but technically this is a salad, Becs. So we're fine. We are good to go!"

"You're so smart Chloe, I can't get over it. This salad is probably doing wonders for our bodies!"

"Not that we even need it!" They were screaming now.

"We don't! We don't need it! We're hot goddamnit!"

"We are! We are so.. hot!" They high fived each other and both took another sip of wine. "Are you like.. are you drunk because I'm not at all." Chloe blinked hard trying to shake off her dizziness.

"No I'm not drunk." Beca shook her head quickly, her eyes widened when the room spun a little.

"Good because I'm not drunk either."

"W-You just.."

"You know who's great?"

"Me?"

"Yes!" Beca clapped excitedly. "But no.." the brunette slumped over as she dropped her fork and gave Chloe a frown. "Listen! Sh! Don't talk just listen!"

"I'm not talking, Chlo."

"Sh!.. You know who's great?"

"Who?"

"Dianna Agron." Beca's eyes widened and she sat up eagerly. "Right?!"

"Yes! Oh my god yes! What is up with her?!"

"Like.. how does someone become that perfect?!"

"She's so pretty.."

"And she has the voice of an angel!"

"And she seems like the sweetest person like ever!"

"I know right?! I feel like she would be really nice in person."

"Yeah..." Beca picked up her fork and stabbed another piece of pasta before popping it in her mouth. "..Pasta is so so great."

"That one hit my eye!" Chloe bent over in laughter as she watched Beca cradle her face in her hands after the gummy bear she threw missed her mouth.

"Do me!" Chloe took a step back towards the kitchen and opened her mouth wide. Beca chose a green gummy bear from the bag and aimed with one eye closed.

She took a step forward and chucked it as hard as she could. Chloe watched the gummy bear as it flew to the kitchen and into the trashcan.

They stared at each other wide eyed, jaws practically on the floor.

Chloe threw her arms up and jumped.

"GOAAAAAL!"

"GOAAAL!"

 

* * *

 

"Do you think aliens are real, Chlo?"

"Definitely. You?" Chloe looked over to Beca. They were both laying upside down on the couch with their feet hanging off the back.

"Yeah.. What do you think they look like?"

"Like okay. I feel like everyone is expecting aliens to be gray or green and to have big eyes and heads you know? But I feel like the first alien we'll find will be like some kind of bacteria or parasite that'll be brought back to earth for science and it'll like wipe us all out." Beca's eyes widened at Chloe's response. "Or maybe just a jellyfish looking type of thing?"

"Holy shit."

"Bacteria still counts as aliens right?"

"I think so. Yeah?.. Why is it that in every alien movie it's them that are the bad guys?"

"Yeah I know right? Aliens could be friendly."

"Yeah like don't try to tell me that we won't be the ones taking them from their families and experimenting on them and stuff."

"Or committing mass murder out of ignorance."

"Yes! Thank you! Humans are the worst. People suck. Just look at all the rhinos and elephants."

"Yeah but at the same time, people are great, Becs."

"Yeah that too.. What if the first life-form we find out in space turned out to be a plant.."

"Would that count?" They stared at each other in contemplation.

 

* * *

 

"Red, red wiine, it's up to you. All I can do, I've done, But memories won't go. Memories won't go." Chloe was dancing on the coffee table using her phone as a microphone as Beca attempted to do the worm on the floor. "I'd have sworn, that with time, thoughts of you would leave my head. I was wrong, now I find, just one thing makes me forget." Beca climbed onto the table with Chloe and grabbed the now empty wine bottle to sing along with her. Together they harmonized, managing to slur only some of the words.

"Red, red wine. Stay close to me. Don't let me be alone. It's tearin' apart, my blue, blue heart." They stared into each other's eyes as they sang the last note.

"Becs.."

"Yeah?" A genuine smile grew on Chloe's face.

"Let's play hide and seek." She watched as Beca squinted at her before hopping off the table to run towards the door.

"NOT IT!" Beca flipped the switch and suddenly it was pitch black. Chloe listened to the smaller girls footsteps that seemed to be running towards the kitchen. She smiled and closed her eyes before counting to twenty, not that she really needed to close her eyes anyways.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Her face was caught in a permanent smile as she cautiously stepped off the coffee table and made her way to the kitchen. "Where are you?" Her hands were stretched out and her eyes were wide, trying to take in as much light as possible. She was near the fridge when she heard a distant giggle, it came from near Beca's bed. She quickly spun around. "I heard that!" She quietly tip toed towards where she thought the noise had come from. She was halfway there when she heard Beca's tiny feet run past her to the other side of the room. She dropped to the floor thinking Beca might have seen her approaching.

Another giggle.

She started to crawl towards her bed, she kept low to the floor trying to be as quiet as possible. As she passed the couch, she reached over and grabbed a pillow.

She crawled again, keeping her movements fluid and quiet until she could start to make out Beca's faint figure crouched near her bed. She could hear her anxious breathing. She slowly made her way to the end of the bed to hide behind the edge. She peeked past the corner to find the brunette still sitting there, trying her best to suppress her giggles as she bit down on her knuckle. It was the cutest thing Chloe had ever seen. Chloe slowly lifted the pillow and threw it to the corner behind Beca. She almost gave away her position in the form of laughter when she saw Beca visibly jump. She watched as Beca slowly and quietly climbed onto the bed in an attempt to get away from what she thought was Chloe. She stood when Beca was fully sprawled across the bed, still trying to crawl as quietly as possible to get to the other side. She could tell Beca was struggling, and it was quite a sight. She hopped onto the bed and grabbed Beca's waist prompting a shriek from the smaller girl.

"Boo!" Beca wiggled and kicked herself away as she screamed but Chloe really wanted to hold her, so she pulled her closer. She dropped herself besides Beca as their eyes finished adjusting to the darkness and she wrapped herself around Beca's arm. "Okay that was fun but, I'm tired now."

"Me too." She watched as Beca rubbed her eyes with her free hand. She yawned and counted how long it took for Beca to follow suit. Four seconds.

"Goodnight, Becs." It was quiet.

It took a few seconds for Beca to finally reply.

"..Chlo, you haven't met my mom yet.."

"Yeah huh.." Beca turned to meet her eyes as she whispered.

"..She would love you."

"You think so?"

"Yeah we should go visit her." Chloe sat up.

"Can we?! I want to meet her." Beca could see Chloe grinning through the darkness. But she could also see the glimmer in her eyes from the faint city lights that seemed to be miles away and she could see the happiness and hope that poured out of her smile.

"Do you want to? I was going to visit her after Aubrey's wedding anyways but it would be cool if you came."

"Yes! Take me with you, Becs!" Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and bounced excitedly.

"Alright.. You two are so much alike it's weird I'm still sane with both of you in my life."

"Makes me wonder where you went wrong." Chloe smiled at Beca again before laying back down next to her and clinging to her arm again, not once letting go of the brunette's hand.

"Hey! I'm happy with the way I am okay? Yeah, I might be a little closed off sometimes but that doesn't mean I'm faulty."

"You're not faulty, Becs." Chloe leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "..You're perfect." Beca stared up at the ceiling as she listened to Chloe's calming breath. "..But you're a little clumsy sometimes."

"Shut up."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~So basically this was just a Dianna Agron/Pasta appreciation chapter. Also, any of you guys figure out why Chloe was glowing?  
> Jason Reeves - Photographs and Memories  
> UB40 - Red, Red Wine


	11. "Áilleacht"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. I hit 100+ Kudos on AO3 and 70+ follows on FF (Which is not a lot but it is for me) So I thought I would celebrate with 2 chapters today. I hope you guys like it. Thanks for reading!

 

"Think what that money could bring, I'd buy everything, clean out Vivienne Westwood, in my Galliano gown." Beca woke up to Chloe's voice floating from the kitchen. She slowly rolled off Chloe's bed and followed the music, ignoring the pounding in her head and the various gummy bears on the floor. She turned the corner and watched as the redhead sang along to the song while pouring milk in her cereal, still unaware of Beca's presence. "No, wouldn't just have one hood, a Hollywood mansion if I could. Please book me first class to my fancy house in London town." The brunette quickly jumped into the song, startling Chloe in the process.

"All the riches baby, won't mean anything. All the riches baby, bring what your love can bring." The girls smiled at each other as Beca sang. Chloe set her cereal down on the island and walked over to the brunette with her bottom lip caught between her teeth and head bobbing to the song. "All the riches baby, won't mean anything, don't need no other baby, Your lovin' is better than gold and I know." Beca shot a look to Chloe to signal her to take the chorus, and proceeded to provide back up vocals for her. She was satisfied when Chloe hopped back in not missing a beat.

"If I was rich girl,"

"na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na nah" Beca bobbed her head from side to side to each 'na' as she sang prompting a giggle from the redhead.

"See, I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl. No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end, cause I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl."

"Nice."

"Nailed it. Do you want some cereal?" Chloe grabbed her phone to turn off the music before returning to her bowl of honey nut cheerios and taking a spoonful in her mouth.

"Yes, please and thank you." Beca took a seat on one of the stools at the island as Chloe turned around to fix her a bowl. Instead of waiting for her own bowl though, the brunette decided to take Chloe's. She was already halfway done when the redhead turned back around.

"Seriously?"

"You don't like soggy cereal anyways, you can eat mine, it's like two minutes fresher." Chloe shook her head and sat down next to her. "..Crazy night huh?"

"Yeah.." The two stared blankly out the giant window as they ate their breakfasts in comfortable silence until they heard a knock at the door. Beca let out a groan before sliding off of the stool and drifting over to the door, stepping on a few gummy bears on the way. She opened the door to the bellas. All of them. They pushed past her and into the room.

"Oh yeah, sure.. Come on in guys.." Beca rolled her eyes at the girls' lack of decorum.

"Um.. why is your room so big?!" Stacie glared at Beca who was scratching her head.

"Because we paid for it?"

"Holy shit look at this view! What the hell, you've been holding out on us this whole time, Frodo!" Amy ran to the far end of the room and planted her face and hands against the glass. "We're partying here tonight!"

"Well don't smudge it!" Beca made her way back to the kitchen just in time to see the redhead mutter to herself quietly as she finished the rest of her cereal. She squinted at her as she set both the bowls in the sink.

"Morning, girls!"

The bellas responded in unison.

" **Morning, Chlo!** "

"Jesus, it's like you're their mother."

"Beca, don't you know that I am the mother hen?"

"I thought I was the mother hen since you know I'm kind of the main leader?" The girls laughed and Beca's eyebrows knitted together in feigned offense.

"Beca please, if anything you're like.." Stacie brought her finger to her chin in deep thought. "There's no term for a father figure of a group.." Flo jumped up yelling the first thing that came to mind.

"Daddy rooster!" Everyone stared at her in disgust.

"If I was to ever become a drag king, that would be my stage name." Amy stared at the ceiling and grinned widely.

"Papa bear?" Jessica offered.

"Ooh yes! Papa bear."

"Yep, you're papa bear."

"Wait why am I the dad?"

"Because Chloe's the mom."

"How does that make any sense? Why can't I be a mom too?"

"Beca.. are you mentally incompetent?" Amy stepped forward to hold Beca by her shoulders. "Because if you are, that's perfectly okay. Nobody's judging you, this is a safe zone. Besides, Chloe takes care of us.. you're kind of just there.. like a dad."

"..Why are you guys even here?!" Beca huffed and walked over to the couch to sit, Stacie perked up.

"Oh, We're going to go walk around a little and see what we could find. Like you know souvenirs and stuff." Chloe clapped and smiled widely.

"Ooh that sounds fun! We need to shower though because we're both sticky after last night."

Beca shook her head and anticipated for the worst. She heard the cogs turning in their heads and decided that she couldn't take the suspense. She hopped off the couch and pointed with both hands, one at Amy and one at Stacie.

"DO NOT!" Amy threw her hands up in surrender.

"Wow no need to get all defensive there."

"Yeah we didn't even say anything." Beca glared at the two. Chloe stepped forward and placed a hand on the smaller girls shoulder.

"Calm down, Becs. I'm going to go shower so try not to kill yourself while I'm gone?" Beca deflated and dropped herself back onto the couch. "Thanks, beb."

"Please hurry."

* * *

The girls were walking down a cobblestone street when they came across a flea market, bustling with locals. Amy quickly stepped ahead to address the group.

"Aw yeah.. Okay we meet back here in two hours. Cool?" Everyone nodded. "Okay and.. break!" Beca was surprised when everyone including Chloe ran off in different directions, leaving her alone. She glanced around looking for anyone familiar but gave up when she quickly became engulfed in the crowd.

Chloe found herself at a small stall that sold handmade jewelry. She smiled widely as she worked her way through the box that was filled to the brim with various bracelets and rings. Her eyes fell onto a thin bronze bangle. She pulled it out and marveled at the detail and the texture of the diamond shaped pattern that ran along the band. When she turned it over, she noticed a snake head. She turned to the young woman who was running the stand.

"This is an.. ouroboros?"

"Yes.. you like?"

"It's beautiful.. how much?"

"Fifteen." Chloe smiled at her gleefully.

"I'll take it."

Beca was lost.

She weaved through the busy crowd, stopping once in a while to admire the little trinkets that were on display. She was pushing her way through some locals when she felt a familiar hand wrap around hers. She smiled to herself before turning to face Chloe.

"Dude. You left me."

"I know and I'm sorry. But it was so I could buy you something."

"You bought me something?" Chloe nodded giddily. "Okay wait don't show me yet. I need to buy you something first." She turned and pulled on Chloe's hand.

"You don't have to buy me anything, Becs."

"Yes I do. Come on."

After visiting about 10 different booths, Beca finally found one with something she thought was worth buying. She turned to Chloe.

"Close your eyes and turn around." Chloe beamed at her before complying. She listened to Beca speak to the man.

"How much is this?"

"Twenty."

"Great.." Chloe's cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling too much. "Thank you."

"Done?"

"Yep." She turned back to her just as she was zipping up her backpack. "Not yet. We'll exchange them at lunch. Sound good?"

"Sounds great."

They roamed the flea market together, not once letting go of each other's hands, afraid the crowd would separate them again the second they let go.

* * *

"Okay. Done?" Chloe looked up from her lap to smile at Beca. They were wrapping their gifts in the cloth napkins that were provided by the waiter.

They were seated outside a restaurant waiting for their food now. The other girls were seated in the neighboring tables around them.

"Wait." Beca frowned at her work. "It looks like a dumpling that got ran over.. I'm not happy with it."

"Beca, it doesn't matter. Mine is just a square. No one's judging you here."

"Okay but please know that I wanted this to look better.. it's just that my wrapping skills are a little below average. I tried putting a bow on it but it didn't turn out right. I'll just leave it so you can appreciate my efforts."

They nodded at each other before placing the items on the table. Chloe grinned when she saw the hideous bundle of napkins Beca had in front of her. Slowly they pushed each gift forward until they met each other at the middle of the table. They kept their eyes trained on each other's as they switched the napkins. Beca's eyebrows shot up as she pulled her gift close.

" **One**."

" **Two** -" They quickly unwrapped their gifts, not bothering to count to three.

"Holy shit, Chlo." She pulled the bracelet from the napkin to slip it onto her wrist as she looked to Chloe who was still struggling to untie the napkins. She smiled when Chloe finally got through to the gift.

"I can say the same to you.. You.." Chloe let out a breathy laugh before speaking again. "You got me a dagger.."

"Cool right? It's pretty sharp too. Don't tell anyone but I just tested it out on the tablecloth two seconds ago."

"Beca!" Beca quickly brought a finger to her lips.

"Keep it on the down low, Beale." Chloe sat back to admire the blade.

"This is great.. Do you realize how much more intimidating I'll be with this hanging off my hip?"

"Yeah, maybe now, creepy guys will think twice before approaching you in a bar." They chuckled at each other as Chloe set the dagger on the table. She held her hand out for Beca's.

"I love it, Becs.." Beca reached across the table to lay her hand in Chloe's. "Do you like yours?"

"Yeah, it's great." Chloe twirled the bracelet a few times before looking into her eyes.

"Thank you for the mini sword."

"I'm glad you like it.. I went through like.. twenty different stalls trying to find that."

"I was there, Becs."

".. I know you were. You wouldn't let go of my hand."The waiter returned with their food and the girls thanked the man after having to reluctantly pull their hands away from each other.

"Really? 'Cause I thought it was the other way around."

"Think all you want, Beale." Beca tucked a napkin into her collar.

"I will." Chloe smirked at her before patting her napkin on her lap and picking up her fork.

"..What did you say to yourself earlier today?"

"..What? When?"

"This morning. When they all showed up at our room? I turned the corner and saw you say something to yourself." Chloe coughed and spun her alfredo on her fork. Beca waited patiently.

"It was nothing." She quickly shoved the pasta in her mouth.

"Okay now I know it was something." The brunette set her fork down and interlocked her fingers on the table. She leaned forward and listened intently.

"It's dumb. Forget about it."

"Come on. Please?" Chloe picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth, still staring down at her plate. "Your secrets are safe with me." She sighed and looked into Beca's eyes.

"Fine. Okay." She swallowed hard and leaned towards the other girl. "Don't make fun of me but, whenever I eat cereal I have to eat every single piece. And when I get to the last bite, I have to say 'Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten'." Chloe glared as Beca tried, and failed, to hide the smile on her face. Chloe sat there patiently waiting for Beca to compose herself.

"Okay that's cool." She squeaked trying hard to hold back the laughter. She shut her eyes afraid Chloe's serious expression would push her off the edge. Chloe sat there quietly watching the other girl pull herself together. "Um.. only cereal?" She saw Beca's mouth quiver when she asked it.

"Yes, only cereal. Do not ask me why." Beca looked to the sky breathing quickly. "You're trying so hard not to laugh it's kind of inspiring. I'm proud of you."

"Th.. thank you.." She took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her eye. " Whoo.. Okay.." she shook her head looking down. She decided to focus on her meal as she felt Chloe stare daggers into her. "Eat your food, Chlo. It's getting cold."

* * *

"Truth or dare, Beca?"

The girls were seated in a circle on the floor of Beca and Chloe's room. They had moved the couch and the coffee table out of the way and were already down a bottle of wine.

"I'm not playing this."

"Beca you have to it's the rules."

"No I'm not playing truth or dare. Why can't we just crack out a bottle of tequila and play a drinking game?"

"Because!.." Amy sat there considering why they couldn't. "Actually that does sound a lot more fun. Let's do it!" She leaned back and rocked herself forward letting herself fall into a perfect somersault before hopping onto her feet, and jumping over Beca to run to the kitchen.

"So we're just going to get drunk two nights in a row, Becs?"

"Um, yeah, Chlo. Live a little would you?" Beca shot Chloe a wink and hopped up to follow Amy.

"Okay so this game is called Fuck You." Amy strode confidently around the circle of seated girls. "Now there are many different variations of this game but here's how it's going down.. Here!" She held up her hand holding a deck of cards.

"Where did you get that?"

"Some guy on the street gave them to me in exchange for some of my spit so I said hey, sure why not. Anyways, here! I have a deck of cards.."

30 minutes into the game and everyone was already absolutely wasted.

"Maybe we should.. stop playing guys." Chloe stared blankly at Beca who was already starting to nod off. "It's 4 guys."

"Noo..You two are suuch lightweights!" Amy flicked a card at the two. Beca didn't react when the card hit her square in her forehead. She slowly blinked at the tiny girl waiting for a reaction.

Nothing.

Chloe spoke up when she realized Beca wasn't going to move.

"Yeah okay this one is done. Come on, beb." Chloe stood and pulled Beca up by her arm. She slung Beca's arm around her neck and straightened them both up with her arm wrapped around Beca's waist. "Please keep it down guys, there aren't any walls here."

"We could say the same to you, Red." Chloe shook her head as she dragged Beca to her bed. She swung the brunette on the bed and proceeded to pull both of their socks off.

"Chloee.." Beca extended her arms reaching for the redhead. Chloe slapped her knee softly.

"Scoot up, beb." Beca rolled over to crawl higher onto the bed.

"Cuddle me, Chlo." She flipped back over and lifted her legs to pull the covers up and over them. Chloe walked over to the side and slipped in easily beside her. She was surprised when Beca pulled on her waist. She whispered closely to her.

"I thought you wanted me to cuddle you."

"I changed my mind. You know that I like to be the big spoon.. master spoon, alpha spoon."

"Shut up." Beca grabbed Chloe's arm and turned it over. Chloe's breath hitched when Beca leaned down to kiss the back of her arm. "What.. was that?" She blushed as she felt the ghost of Beca's lips linger on her skin.

"I was kissing Ally goodnight."

"Ally?"

"Yeah, your freckle."

"I thought you said you wanted a unisex name."

"Ally is a unisex name. I looked it up! I googled how to say 'beauty' in Gaelic you know like 'beauty mark' but I didn't want to do too much so I left out the 'mark'. And I didn't know how to pronounce it but I remember there being an A and an L in there somewhere, so I came up with Ally." Chloe grinned before whispering to her.

"Áilleacht."

"All-eeuct."

"Close. Awl-ee-ukht. Awlee-ukht. Faster."

"Alle-ucht? All.. all-" Chloe leaned in closer and spoke clearer.

"Áilleacht.." Beca watched her lips as she said it.

"..Áilleacht." They both grinned widely.

"You got it.."

"Yeah? Áilleacht.." Chloe watched her closely as she said it a few more times. "This is easy. It's a lot looser than I thought it would be. Áilleacht.. áilleacht.. huh."

"..Becs, why do you have to be so cute?"

"I.. am not cute. I.. am.. Groot." They both giggled drunkenly like it was the greatest joke ever. Beca got lost in Chloe's eyes as she watched her laugh. "..Goodnight, Chlo."

"Goodnight, Becs."

"..Áilleacht.. I'll remember that."

Beca quickly intertwined her legs with Chloe's and they dozed off easily with the aid of alcohol muffling the racket the other girls were making.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys know how hard it is to count how many 'na's Gwen Stefani sings in Rich Girl. I had to listen that song like 20 times just to try to count them. I looked it up and one site said 13 but another said 15. Do you see how much I try?!


	12. "What's This About?"

Chloe was the first to wake up the next morning. She sat up and scanned the room sighing when she saw that the rest of the girls were still there. Most piled onto each other on her bed, Lilly alone on the couch laying there stiff as a board. She slid out of Beca's bed and made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. She stared at the pile of girls on her bed as she sipped her coffee.

_It's like a renaissance painting._

She walked back over to the bed to retrieve her phone, pausing for a second to look at Beca. The brunette looked peaceful with a small smile on her face. She tilted her head in adoration. Watching the girl sleep made her feel content so she smiled to herself before turning back to the kitchen.

Considering Aubrey's wedding was still a thing that needed to be planned, she decided to call the bride to be. The phone rang twice before Aubrey picked up.

"Chloe! What do you think about flowers? I want warm colors of course. So reds, oranges, yellows. Maybe whites too? But what flower?"

"Oh yeah that sounds great. How do you feel about tulips? And oh! I saw that you chose your date!"

"I did! And babe, tulips sound so fantastic but I'm not sure how they would look with other flowers. I mean whenever I see a bouquet of tulips, I never see any other flower there you know? I'll just have to go do some more research! I mean I might not even need any other flowers, tulips are great on their own."

"Did you try on any dresses yet?"

"No of course not! I'm waiting for you girls to get here! I mean, I have looked at some." Chloe looked up to see Stacie push someone's leg off of herself.

"Okay. What colors were you thinking for the bridesmaids dresses?" Stacie stood from the bed and stretched excessively before making her way to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"I was thinking like a deep scarlet reddish orange color. Or maybe like a pastel yellow? Since the orange would be too much with your hair and all?"

"I could make red-orange work, Bree. Don't worry about me." Stacie froze as she heard the name. She turned around and stared at the back of Chloe's head. She came up besides Chloe and pointed to the phone mouthing "Bree?". Chloe nodded and offered her the phone. Chloe was confused when Stacie waved the phone away and pointed to the exit. But she was tired and her head was hurting so she nodded and smiled at the taller girl who was already making her way to the door.

"I know you can, Chlo. But I mean why do extra to work an orange when you can nail a pastel yellow with half the effort? Maybe I should switch to a cool color scheme.."

Beca awoke with a start when the door closed. Chloe stared as the brunette sat up quickly and grabbed her head in pain. She smiled amusedly when Beca flopped back down and crawled back under the covers.

Chloe stood from the island stool and turned to the coffee machine to make Beca a cup.

"Hey Bree, you can email me some of the dresses you were looking at then I'll send you the one's I was looking at okay? You can tell me which ones you like best and we'll narrow it down together."

"Okay call me when you look at them, we can skype again."

"Alright bye, love you!"

"Love you too! Look at them asap!" Chloe hung up and set her phone on the counter. After mixing all the creamer and sugar, she picked up both mugs and her phone and made her way back to the bed. She set both coffees on the nightstand and softly laid on top of Beca who was still curled under the sheets.

"I..I can't breathe, Chloe!" She felt Beca fidget under her before she rolled off the smaller girl. She chuckled when Beca's head popped out from under the covers. Her cheeks were red and her hair was everywhere.

"Jesus, you could've killed me." Beca pushed the hair out of her face and held her chest.

"Good morning, Beca."

"You're not allowed to be that happy after the night we had."

"I wasn't as drunk as you were.. Here I got you some coffee." She leaned to reach for Beca's mug but decided she couldn't reach so she settled for pointing. "Black mug. You're closer." Beca grabbed both mugs and handed one to Chloe.

"Thanks, beb." Beca nodded at the girls knocked out across the room. "Do you know when they went to sleep last night?" Chloe shook her head.

"Nope. Stacie just left though." She was still laying down so she had to stretch her neck upwards when she sipped her coffee so she wouldn't spill. "Hey can I use your laptop later? We need to start looking for apartments and I need to look at some stuff for Aubrey's wedding."

"That's still happening?"

".. Yeah." Beca nodded to herself as she looked out the window.

"You don't need to ask me to use my laptop. You already know my password."

"It's called respect for another's personal property and space."

"Wow. Chloe Beale respecting someone's space? Where are we? Who am I?" She lifted her hand and placed two fingers on her pulse point. "Well I'm not dead."

"Shut up. But seriously we need to look for apartments. It's going to be a super busy month between moving into whatever place we find and helping plan Aubrey's wedding and then planning the trip to visit your mom."

"Don't worry about the apartment I got it covered." Chloe sat up and looked into the brunette's eyes.

"What do you mean you got it covered?" Beca grinned and sipped her coffee.

"My dad knows this guy who owns an apartment building. And it's really nice, I've seen it." Chloe perked up eagerly.

"Wait what? Why didn't you tell me this like a month ago?! What does it look like? How many rooms? Square feet? How does the kitchen look? Any pests?! What about plum-" Beca silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"Stop. Breathe. Relax. No pests. It's big, not too big but perfect for us, everything is functional and it's absolutely affordable too. My dad got us the hook up. I guess he can be useful for some things. Two bedrooms, two baths. I called dibs on the master already." Chloe smacked Beca's hand away.

"How is that fair?! I didn't even know about this place until a minute ago."

"Fine. Row. Sham. Bow. Right now." Beca set her mug down and held out a fist in her palm.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors depends purely on luck. We need something that takes actual skill to determine who gets it."

"Fine. Then we'll have some kind of competition for it. Whoever wins gets the master."

"Can I see this place first?"

"Oh yeah." Beca hopped off the bed and strode to retrieve her laptop from the coffee table. She quickly jogged back and hopped onto the bed eagerly crawling back up to sit next to the redhead who was now leaning against the headboard. "Okay, trust me when I say that this apartment is perfect. I haven't told him that we were going to take it yet though because I still needed to ask you obviously but I kept forgetting." She pulled up the website and clicked on the picture of the living room. Chloe's eyes widened and she set her coffee down on the nightstand so she could pull the laptop onto her lap.

"Becs.. how could you forget to tell me about this?"

"A lot of things have been on my mind lately. But now you know.. nice right?"

"It's.." she clicked on the picture of the master bedroom and gasped. "It's perfect! Beca, you have to give me the master. Please! I deserve it! Without me you wouldn't even be here! Literally! If I didn't convince you to audition for the bellas, who knows where you'd be right now?" Beca rolled her eyes.

"Um.. wow okay. I'm the one who found the place so if anyone deserves it, it's me." Chloe bit her lip nervously.

"What's the competition going to be?"

"I don't know. But it has to be a legit bet okay? Amy might think of something worthy enough."

"Amy?!" Chloe hissed.

"Yeah. What's the problem, Red? Scared?"

"No. I'm ready. I want that master, it has my name on it."

"Oh Chloe.." Beca placed her hand on Chloe's and looked into her eyes with a sympathetic smile. "You are so, so wrong." She inhaled a deep breath and shuffled off the bed. "I'll call the guy and let him know soon. Do you want some chocolate waffles? I'm gonna make some."

"Yes please." Chloe looked back down at the picture. This was it. Their place. Chloe and Beca's apartment.  _Their home_. It made her feel like her chest was going to cave in and explode, and she she loved it. She imagined them watching netflix on the couch after a long day, making breakfast for each other in the mornings, inviting friends over for parties, eating meals together, saying hellos and goodbyes everyday, living together, being together. This was just the beginning and she knew it.

Beca ended up having to make breakfast for everyone since Amy woke up to the smell and claimed that if she died, chocolate chip waffles might very well be the only thing that could bring her back to life.

* * *

The girls had left more than a couple hours ago and Chloe was on the laptop looking over dresses when Beca's stomach growled.

"I'm hungry again, Chlo."

"We just ate a bunch of waffles, Beca."

"That was like five hours ago and I only ate two.." she threw up two fingers and repeated herself. "Two, Chloe!.. That's nothing! Everyone else ate all the rest! Including yourself!"

"Whoa, I only had two too!"

"It's okay, I know you ate like 6. You don't need to lie to me Chloe." Chloe closed the laptop and sat up.

"Shut up! I ate two!"

"I know my waffles are amazing you can stop lying." Chloe threw her arms up and slumped back down into the couch.

"Go get some food if you're hungry."

"Pizza?"

"Sounds good. I'll be here."

"You're not coming with?" Beca tried hard to look indifferent but she forgot to disguise her voice when she spoke.

"Nah, Aubrey needs to choose the bridesmaids dresses today. It's already like nine over there. Plus I need to start thinking about the bachelorette party."

"Okay, I'll be back soon." Beca grabbed her bag and left the room quietly.

She was waiting for her pizza at the bar across the street when she noticed Stacie sitting alone drinking a beer. She was confused as to why she was alone so she took a seat next to her.

"Hey, Stace. Whatcha doin' here by yourself?" Stacie didn't take her eyes off her drink. Beca waited patiently for her reply and found herself staring at the drink too. Stacie straightened up and took a deep breath.

"If you loved someone, really loved someone.. it wouldn't matter who the person was.. right?"

"..Well if that person is an asshol-"

"-If you thought that person was an asshole then you wouldn't be in love with them.. 'love is blind' and all that you know?" Beca peered at Stacie trying to make out the meaning of the conversation. "You know I'm bi right?" Stacie brought the glass to her lips and took a long swig.

"I assumed so.. which.. now that I think of it was really shitty of me."

"It's okay, you're not wrong.. If you felt something real with someone you would go for it right? No matter who that person was? If you knew something real was there? Real.. potential.. You would give it everything you had, right?" Beca thought about what she said. What the meaning behind it could have been. How it could easily apply to her own situation with her relationship with Chloe.

"I'd like to think so, yeah. But.. life is a lot more complicated than that, Stace." Stacie nodded, her eyes still trained on the glass. Beca leaned in closer to whisper. "What's this about?"

"Nothing. I just needed to know if I was alone on that. But I'm not. So.. thank you." Beca watched as Stacie stood and reached into her pocket for some money. She slapped the bill on the counter and patted Beca's shoulder as she left. Beca was left alone more confused than ever.

_What was that?_

"Your pizza, signora."

* * *

"I'm baack.. with food." Beca kicked the door closed and walked over to the couch to find the room lacking of a certain redhead. "Whereee.. are you, Chlo?" She dropped the pizza box on the table pulled out her phone to text her.

**4:33 pm**

**Beca: Wherefore art thou Chlomeo?**

She dropped herself on the couch, propped her feet on the table and tossed her phone beside her waiting for a reply. Five minutes passed and she decided to start eating without the redhead.

**4:42 pm**

**Red: You do realize that that doesnt mean 'where are you?' but instead means 'why are you?' As in 'why did you have to be a montague, romeo?' Also. chlomeo sounds like some kind of std. Please don't call me that ever again.**

**Beca: Like I care! Btw Chlomeo is totally your name on my caller id now. But seriously where are youu**

**Chlomeo: Why? You miss me?**

**Beca: I got pizza and I am this close to finishing it.**

**4:43 pm**

**Chlomeo: Omg dont! Im on my way i needed to measure the girls for the dresses! I need to measure you too ;D**

**Beca: Gtfo I'll measure myself thank you very much. Plus dont we have everyone's measurements already written down somewhere?**

**Chlomeo: I threw em away cause I thought we wouldn't need them anymore. & thats not how it works beb. I'll do you and you can do me ;D im down the hall don't finish the pizza.**

Beca thought it would be fun to mess with her so she grabbed the rest of the pizza, except for the one she was already eating, and she put it all on a plate and hid it in the microwave. She left the empty box out for Chloe to see. She wiped the smug grin off her face and slumped on the couch when she heard the door open and close.

"Oh my jesus I am starving!" Chloe came in and dropped her notebook, pen, phone and measuring tape on the table. She froze when saw the empty pizza box and the last half eaten slice in Beca's hand.

"..It was really good." Chloe started to hyperventilate.

"You.. did not." Beca bit her lip trying to keep herself from laughing. Chloe's eyes grew wide and she lunged for what she thought was the last slice. She shoved a hand in Beca's face to keep her mouth away from the pizza.

"AH! STO-CHLOE!" Beca tried to bite the hand that was in her face to get the wild redhead away but she quickly lost her grip of the pizza when Chloe grabbed her wrist and snatched it out of her hand.

She quickly hopped off of the brunette with the pizza now in between her teeth and ran across the room to finish it. Beca shot up and chased after her towards the bed.

"That's my pizza, Chloe!" Beca reached for the girl but was too slow since Chloe was now shoving the pizza in her mouth on the other side of the bed. "I hope you choke!" Chloe was already down to the crust when Beca jumped onto the bed to get closer. She dodged Beca's arm as she squealed and ran back towards the couch. Beca rolled off the bed and reached for her. She was so close to catching her, she felt the redhead's shirt underneath her fingertips. Now if she could just grab it! "Fffuck!" Chloe knew how close Beca was to catching her judging by the closeness of her voice so she ran straight to the couch. She knew Beca was close to grabbing her, she felt like she could be caught any second so she had to act fast.

And so she lept onto the couch. Beca, not being prepared for the jump, or the huge obstacle in her way, collided with it. Chloe ran the length of the sofa, hopped off the other end and turned around just in time to see the brunette faceplant in the couch cushion with her legs hanging in the air off the side. She took a breath before finishing the crust.

"..There's... MORE IN THE MICROWAVE!"

Chloe began to breath heavily again.

"W..what?"

Beca slapped the cushion and pushed herself upright while pulling her legs fully on the couch. She shook her head as she caught her breath. She huffed and blew her hair out of her face.

"I saved you some.. there's like 6 slices left! In the microwave!" Chloe bent over in laughter prompting Beca to follow suit.

"Wh-.. why didn't you just tell me?!"

"You took my slice! I wanted it back and you didn't even ask!"

"You're an asshole. I'm glad I ate yours, that's what you get!" She turned to get more pizza from the kitchen. Beca huffed again.

"You just.. stole my slice!" She shook her head when she heard Chloe laugh from the kitchen.

* * *

"Stop moving!"

Chloe was struggling. Beca was hot. Chloe knew Beca was hot. She's known Beca was hot since the fateful day at the activities fair. And she knows Beca is hot now, with Beca's boobs level with her eyes. So it was hard for her to keep her hands to herself when she was measuring the half-naked girl who was standing on the coffee table in nothing but a sports bra and spandex shorts.

_Focus Beale._

"I can't! You keep tickling me!"

"Beca, I need to get this done for Aubrey tonight so she can drop off the measurements in the morning so would you please just.. stop.. fidgeting!"

"Do I look bloated? Maybe we should wait to measure me since I just ate." Chloe huffed and glared up at her. "Okay. Calm down, Beale. You got this. I'm sorry, I'll try to stay still."

"I know I got this. It's just that I still need you to measure me and I still need to measure Stacie too since she wasn't there when I went to her room." She sighed and pushed the hair out of her face.

"Hey, what is with Stacie though? She's been acting really weird lately right?"

"Yeah! I thought that was just me!"

"I wonder what her deal is. She was at the pizza bar place all by herself talking about love and stuff.. STACIE, Chlo. Talking about LOVE. Real love, not love making.. LOVE."

"Huh.. I hope she's okay." Chloe continued to measure Beca's waist.

"Yeah.."

"Oh crap. Beca! Aubrey told me to tell you to call her asap."

"What? Why? I don't want to talk to her unless you're the middleman. I mean, Aubrey's my friend and all but I don't ever talk to her unless you're there. I mean, I know I'm a bridesmaid but I'm pretty sure that's just 'cause she wouldn't have won the ICCA's without me."

"Just call her tomorrow. It's important." Chloe shot Beca a sweet smile before returning her attention to the measurements.

".. Call.. Aubrey.. Asap?.. Important?.. What?"

 

 

 


	13. "Peaches"

"Hello?"

"Beca?"

"Y-yes. What can I do ya for, Aubrey?"

"Would you stop being so weird?!"

"I'm not being weird!"

"You're going to be one of my bridesmaids for Christ's sake and you can't even talk to me without being all awkward. Just shut up and listen!" Beca could hear Aubrey take a deep breath through the phone. "Okay. As you know I am.. getting married."

"Wow! Really?!"

"Shut up!"

"I'm sorry."

"Well, Beca. A wedding is going to need a DJ." Beca froze. Her body tensed. Her vision went blurry. "And well, if I'm being honest.. you're the best one I know. Plus, Luke really likes your stuff." Beca took a deep breath and screamed.

"CHLOE!" She could hear Aubrey through the phone saying a few different things between "What the hell?" And "You're going to make me deaf!" Chloe quickly jogged over to the hyperventilating brunette.

"What, Beca? What?!"

"She's playing with me, Chlo!" She turned back to the phone. "Aubrey, I swear if you are playing with my heart, my fragile heart, I will make it my life's duty to-to-to-"

"I'm not kidding, Beca. I want you to DJ at my wedding." Beca looked up to find Chloe smiling proudly at her.

"You knew about this didn't you?" Beca could swear started seeing stars when Chloe's smile grew wider. "Aubrey? I will be honored to DJ at your wedding."

"I thought you would." She took a moment to catch her breath before speaking again.

"..Um.. Is that all?"

"Pretty much.."

"Okay.."

"Goodbye, Beca."

"Bye, Bree." She stared at her phone after hanging up. "..My first real gig." Chloe instinctively wrapped Beca in her arms and stepped forward. Beca gladly hugged her back as she was being pushed back towards her bed. "Oh my God. My first real gig!" Chloe lifted Beca off the ground and fell with her onto the bed, she kept her arms around Beca's waist.

"I'm proud of you, Becs."

"I'm surprised you had enough self control to keep it from me."

"Trust me, I am too."

* * *

"A riff off?"

"Yes. But only between you two."

"Huh.. I thought you would be more creative with this one."

"Oh but Beca, I was. You see, this won't be like any ordinary riff off.." Amy grinned deviously at the two girls. "This one involves shots."

"Of course it does."

"Rules?"

"If the other person sings longer for 15 seconds without you jumping back in, you have to take a shot. If you throw up, you lose automatically. And if you take 2 shots during one song, you automatically lose too. So you have a 30 second window to jump back in, or else you're out." Amy clasped her hands together proudly.

"Okay, I think we could do that.. Beca?"

"I-You.. I'm a lightweight! You all know that! This is rigged!"

"Does that mean you forfeit?" Chloe crossed her arms and smiled at the smaller girl.

"No! I want that master." Amy hopped off the couch and grabbed Chloe's notebook.

"This is all so exciting!" Ashley and Jessica squealed as they watched Amy write down 1 through 6 on the paper.

"Alright, I need categories aca-bitches! Go ahead shout them out!" Flo stood and raised her arm.

"Latin music!"

"What do you think? Can you guys do Latin music?" They looked to each other for confirmation and then back to Amy and shrugged in unison. "Okay I'll put it down anyways."

"Break up songs."

"Nice, Stace. Nice." Amy nodded as she drew a broken heart next to the '2'. Beca thought she heard Lilly whisper something about death but she decided to ignore her since she really didn't know any songs about the subject.

"Rap songs, bitches!"

"Yes CR, Yes! How did I not think of that?"

"Disney!"

"Okay sure. Two more! Beca and Chloe, please choose the last two." Chloe grinned.

"Crushes." Beca shot Chloe a questioning look.

"Okay, and Beca?"

"Names."

"Mhm. Very specific but okay. Now, who would like to roll the die?" Beca bowed and gestured for the redhead to roll.

Chloe gladly took the die and kissed it. Beca's heart raced when she bent over and tossed it onto the table.

"Two! Break up songs! Stace get the shots ready. CR, get the timer ready. Everyone else provide back up. Let's do this!" Amy stood and pulled the two girls to the middle of the room to face each other."Are you both ready?" Both girls nodded. "Okay, I want a good clean fight. No hitting below the belt. Listen to my command at all times. Remember to protect yourselves. Bump fists if you understand." Beca and Chloe both shook their heads and rolled their eyes before complying and bumping their fists. "Alright! Ready, set, RIFF OFF!" Beca quickly stepped up to sing first.

"Did sirens steal your heart when you weren't looking? Where'd you learn to lie the way you do-" Chloe clapped her hand causing Beca to flinch and take a step back.

"Do ya do ya, do ya do? And do ya do ya-a believe in the truth? Truth be told that truth found it's way. To the twisted tongue that spoke dismay. Cause your sweet is sour-"

"SHOT BECA!"

_What? Already?_ Beca quickly took her shot and shook her head to shake off the burn in her throat.

"You're a weed not a flower, just a pretty face coward is you-"

"-You put me through pain, I wanna let you know how I feel. Fuck what I said, it don't mean shit now." Chloe was surprised with the song choice but she didn't let it phase her, she really wanted that bedroom. "Fuck the presents might as well throw 'em out-"

"-out! Leave! Right now! It's the end of you and me. It's too late and I can't wait for you to be gone, 'Cause I know about her, and I wonder,"

"Beca shot!" Beca groaned in frustration before taking the shot.

"how I bought all the li-"

-"lies you told, this is what you owe. Hey ladies! When your man wanna get buckwild, just go back and hit 'em up style. Put your hands on his cash and spend it to the last dime for all the hard times.  
Oh!-"

"Oh womanizer oh, you're a womanizer, baby. You, you you you, you, you you you"

"You know that I'm no good.. I cheated myself, like I knew I would. I told you I was trouble-"

"-Trouble, trouble, trouble. Oooh, oooh, trouble, trouble, trouble." Beca smiled at Chloe and mouthed 'T-Swift? Really?' as Chloe sang. "No apologies. He'll never see-"

"-Never see. You're so busy makin' maps with my name on them in all caps. You've got the talkin' down. Just not the listening. And who cares if you disagree? You are not me."

"Shot Chloe!" Chloe quickly downed the glass and stared back into Beca's eyes.

"Who made you king of anything? So you-"

"You must not know 'bout me. You must not know 'bout me. I could have another you-"

"-You think you are? Runnin' 'round leaving scars. Collecting your jar of hearts, and tearing love apart. You're gonna catch a cold-"

"Cold, You're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up and you're down-"

"-down, down in an earlier round, and sugar, we're going down swinging. I'll be your number one with a bullet. A loaded god complex, cock it and-"

"And I told you to be patient, And I told you to be fine, And I told you to be balanced, And I told you to be kind, And now all your love is wasted, then who the hell was I?"

"Beca. Shot." Beca heard CR yell for her to take a shot but she didn't move. But there was so much emotion in Chloe's voice, she didn't dare to interrupt. Or maybe she was just already too drunk to think. Drunk? Mesmerized? Same thing right? Either way, she was stuck.

Chloe had her eyes closed and brows furrowed feeling the song build from her chest move up her throat to float out her mouth. She felt everyone watching her so she let herself sink deeper into the song.

"'Cause now I'm breaking at the britches, and at the end of all your lines. Who will love you? Who will fight? And who will fall far behind?"

"Game. Chloe wins." Beca stared in awe as Chloe went from the verge of tears back to her normal squealing, jumping, excited self.

"Beca, you still have to take two more shots." Beca's eyes snapped to Stacie who was holding two shot glasses for her. She sighed and shook her head before drinking both.

"Sorry, Becs. I really wanted that master bedroom."

"You won it. Fair and square." They nodded to each other. "Now everyone get the hell out! I need to mourn!"

"But we wanted to party!"

"Yeah let's party!"

"Guys tomorrow okay? Beca is just a little too sad to party right now." Chloe reached over and pinched Beca's cheek. She was disappointed when Beca pulled away and walked over to the couch. The girls said their goodbyes and left the two alone.

Beca sat down and brought her legs up to hug them.

"You know, Becs.." Chloe walked over and took a seat next to her. "If you want it that bad we could always.. share it." Beca kept her eyes towards the kitchen as she scoffed.

_Wait is she serious? I'm too drunk for this shit._

She quickly side glanced at her.

"No. It's yours."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't ask."

"..I'm going to bed." Beca stood and unsteadily walked over to her bed. Chloe wanted to ask if she wanted to cuddle but decided against it, much to her dismay.

* * *

Chloe woke up the next morning, oddly enough, in Beca's arms. She laid there watching the girl sleep. The thought of Beca crawling into her bed in the middle of the night warmed more things than just her heart.

She found herself studying Beca's face and she began to trail her finger along Beca's narrow nose.

_So soft._

Beca furrowed her brows and Chloe quickly pulled her hand back. The brunette smacked her mouth a few times before relaxing again and muttering to herself.

"Mm..peaches."

Chloe hesitantly reached out again after deciding the brunette was still in deep slumber since she was talking in her sleep. She softly brushed her fingertip along Beca's cheek, then moved her hand over Beca's temple, then up to her forehead and down to her nose, lips, chin and jaw. She only touched with one finger, afraid any more would wake her. She trailed the finger up Beca's jaw and then back down to her chin again before pulling her hand back and looking at Beca's closed eyes. Those kind eyes. She thought about that night on the bridge. How they kind of almost kissed and how they never spoke of it after it happened-or more accurately-almost happened. She wondered if it had anything to do with Beca's break up with Jesse. The revelation made her heart sink. She sat up wide eyed.

_Chloe Beale.. a.. homewrecker?_

She took a deep, ragged breath and slid out of bed feeling the need to get out. She changed into jogging shorts, a clean t-shirt, a sports bra and her black Nike's. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth before grabbing her phone and a few euros and leaving the room.

After jogging for what seemed like an eternity, she came across a little gift shop. She marveled at the cute little trinkets as she made her way through the shop.

A certain display stand covered in snow globes caught her attention. She rushed over to the stand quickly glancing over each globe until she spotted the perfect one.

"I want youu.." She reached over and lifted the tiny trinket from its stand. Her eyes widened and she grinned when she realized it was the same angel from the bridge. "You again?" She turned to the shopkeeper. "How much?" The old woman at the counter eyed the gift and squinted.

"Eh.. tre."

"Three?" The woman nodded. Chloe put her phone on the counter and reached into her pocket for some cash. And for a split second the thought had occurred that maybe she shouldn't be buying gifts for Beca. Especially after realizing there was a slight possibility that she was to blame for Beca's failed relationship with Jesse.

Or maybe she just shouldn't buy that one specific snowglobe that reminded her of the day she almost kissed her.

And maybe, just maybe she shouldn't have left her phone on the counter, out in the open for random guys to snatch. Yeah, she definitely shouldn't have left her phone out on the counter.

"HEY! THAT'S MY PHONE!" She turned to the woman. "Please save that for me!" She quickly darted off to follow the man who had her phone. "STOP!" The man turned a corner and she followed. "You stupid man! I will catch you! I just got warmed up! I am in my prime right now! You will probably die today!" The man glanced back at her and she couldn't help thinking he was actually really handsome with his chiseled jaw line and bold eyebrows.

He turned another corner and she was getting really close now. She spotted a dog up ahead that was crossing the alley way so she kicked it up to top speed. The man darted past the dog but Chloe wanted her phone back and she wasn't going to let some dog slow her down now that she was so close to catching this asshole.

So she jumped.

Over the dog and onto the man's back.

They both fell to the floor.

Chloe scraped her knee on the cobblestone as they collided with the stoned floor but the man had it much worse. She laid on top of the man to catch her breath before grabbing his arm and pulling her phone out of his hands. The man rolled over when she stood.

"You.. ASSHOLE! This is my phone you can't just take people's phones!" The man stood and bowed to her. She took a step back, surprised by the action. He shot her a dashing smile.

"Scusa, bellissima." He took a step forward and grabbed her hand to kiss it. Chloe quickly pulled her hand back and wiped it on her shorts. "No hard feelings, yes?" He turned to walk away after winking at her with his deep brown eyes.

"What? Yes hard feelings!" He glanced back again to laugh at her and then ran off. "..Beautiful, charming asshole."

* * *

"Oh my god, Chloe! Where the hell have you been?! I called you like twenty times!" Beca ran up to Chloe at the door and grabbed the girl by the arms. She spun Chloe around to make sure she didn't have any wounds. When she turned her back around, she spotted the scrape on Chloe's knee. "What happened?!"

"Look at what I got, Beca." Beca looked up from Chloe's knee. Chloe was holding the snow globe in both hands at eye level so she could see Beca upside down through the glass. Beca placed a hand on it and pushed Chloe's hands down so she could look her in the eyes.

"Where the hell did you go? You've been gone for at least three hours. And I say at least because who knows how much longer I slept for after you left!"

"I went for a jog."

"May I remind you that we are in a different CONTINENT! You should've woken me up. I could have went with you. You could've gotten lost. Or.. spoken to by-by... strangers! STRANGERS, CHLOE!"

Chloe chuckled and pulled the snow globe out of Beca's grip.

"Beca, if anything, this place is a lot safer than the place we call home." Chloe started to walk past Beca toward the couch.

"Yes, okay, we all know the great U.S. of A. is a dangerous and horrible place to be that's filled with assholes but Chloe!" She grabbed Chloe's hand to turn her back around. "Please let me know next time? Or better yet I'll go with you. Now matter how early. I will get up and I will jog with you." Chloe stared at her with a quirked eyebrow. "Okay I take that back but passed 10 o'clock I am good to go! I will be ready for marathons if you need me to be."

"I'll let you know if I go again. Today wasn't a great first time."

"What happened to your knee?"

"Some guy-"

"What guy?! I will cut a bit-"

"Beca! Calm down." She leaned in to whisper. "I totally tackled him to the ground." Beca slowly squinted at her.

"Wh-" Beca sighed and pulled Chloe to the bathroom. ".. Let's get you patched up before I faint in response to your story, okay?"

"So you just let him kiss your hand?" Beca's view switched focus from the angel in the snow globe she had at eye level, to Chloe who was sitting cross legged in front of her.

"I didn't let him. He just took it and kissed it."

"Chloe, that hand is tainted now." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Shut up."

"It could be infected with mono. You better go disinfect that. " Chloe snatched the globe out of Beca's hand to look it over. Beca watched her as the redhead bit her lip. "..Why'd you buy that?"

"What?"

"That.. Why did you buy it?"

"Because.." Chloe felt Beca's gaze on her so she kept her eyes glued to the trinket. "I saw it.. and I wanted to buy it for you."

"..It's for me?" Chloe nodded with a wide smile on her face. "Are you sure? 'Cause you seem pretty attached to it."

"I bought it for you. But I mean, if you wanna let me borrow it sometimes that would be cool too."

"We can always just put it in the living room at the apartment." Chloe perked up and put the globe aside to hold Beca's hands.

"Did you call the guy?"

"Yep. He said we could move in as soon as we get back." Chloe's contagious smile grew tenfold and she squealed as she pulled Beca in for a tight hug.

"..We should celebrate!"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~That riff off was a lot harder to put together than I thought it would be...   
> The Civil Wars - Go  
> Misterwives - Twisted Tongue  
> Eamon - I Don't Want You Back  
> JoJo - Leave (Get Out)  
> Blu Cantrell - Hit 'em Up Style  
> Britney Spears - Womanizer  
> Amy Winehouse - You Know That I'm No Good  
> Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble  
> Sara Bareilles - King of Anything  
> Beyonce - Irreplaceable  
> Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts  
> Katy Perry - Hot & Cold  
> Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Going Down  
> Bon Iver - Skinny Love


	14. "Leave Your Phone"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this happened..

"First celebrity crushes. Boy and girl. Go Ashley!"

"Rob Lowe and Amy Jo Johnson."

"I think it's safe to say everyone had a crush on pink ranger."

"Give me some of that Sodapop Curtis though." Stacie fanned herself as she leaned back against the couch.

"Chloe?"

"Patrick Dempsey and.." Chloe quickly glanced at Beca across the way before smiling shyly. "M-Meg.."

"Meg?" Stacie leaned closer for clarification.

"Yeah.. um." Beca watched as the redhead picked at the carpet nervously. "Megara.. from Hercules." Amy literally spit out her drink.

"Amy, you better wipe that all up!"

"I will! Calm down Napoleon Dynamite!"

"It's Bonaparte! And I'm not-" She sighed frustratedly. "..Guys, can we not?" Stacie slammed her fist on the couch as Beca whined.

"Beca! Why do you have to be such a party pooper?!"

"I'm not a party pooper!"

"Yes you are! We're celebrating you and Chloe finding a home together! This is for you and you're pooping it! Just sittin' there shitting on the parade!"

"I just wanted to get drunk again. Amy, don't you just wanna get drunk?"

"Oh yes that sounds great!" Stacie gasped and pointed accusingly at Beca.

"Amy, she's playing you."

"What? No I'm not."

"How could you just mess with my heart like that, Beca? I'm hurt. You know how much I love drinking. And you're just going to use that against me? That's just cold."

"She's trying to change the subject. First celebrity crushes, Beca. Spill."

"You guys are acting like I have this huge secret."

"You're the one who's acting like you have a secret. We're just working off what you're giving us." Beca shook her head in disbelief.

"Fine. Jason Priestley."

"Who?"

"Brandon Walsh from 90210."

"You watched 90210?!"

"No! I saw like one episode and he was there and I was like, oh.. hey you, I see you."

"Okay.. girl?"

"What?"

"First. Girl. Crush. Come on keep up, Beca!"

"Oh um.." Beca blushed when everyone leaned in eagerly. She locked eyes with Chloe who was listening attentively. "..Kate Winslet." Everyone nodded approvingly.

"..Are you talking about The Titanic Kate Winslet orr-"

"Duh, why is that even a question?" Amy and Stacie both squinted at each other knowingly and before smiling at Beca. "What?"

The two responded in unison.

" **Nothing**."

Amy stood up and clapped her hands.

"Okay, I need alcohol inside of me now." Cynthia Rose pointed a finger to her and spoke up.

"You know, sometimes I think you have a serious problem."

"Says the gambleholic!" Cynthia Rose nodded with a frown on her face.

"Touché.."

* * *

"I thought you said you wanted to drink.." Chloe whispered to Beca as they watched the rest of the girls try to form a human pyramid in the middle of the room.

"I lied, I do want to remember some of this trip after all."

"-Amy, you need to be the foundation!"

"Fuck you, Stacie! I can be at the top!"

"No fighting girls!"

"Chloe! Stacie said I can't be at the top, but I can be at the top right?"

"I don't want anyone getting hurt. Flo should be on top incase anything goes wrong, she's nimble enough to get out unscathed."

"Fine.. but just so you know I should be at the top. I'm always on top. Just ask Bumper."

"Oh my God.." Beca buried her face in her hands.

"I thought you would have gotten used to that by now, Becs." Chloe nudged her with her elbow.

"I will never get used to her talking about sex with Bumper.." Beca's eyes shot to Chloe's. "Are you used to it?!"

"I think it's cute."

"-I'm sorry, what?"

"There's nothing wrong with someone talking about who they love, Becs."

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind if that was all it was, but this is Amy we're talking about here.  **Amy**.. with her intricate details and elaborate imagery."

"It's the little details that count, Beca."

"Those aren't little details. Those are huge chunks of explicit, vulgar-"

"-Oi! My love making with Bumper is a beautiful experience and you should feel blessed that I even care enough to tell you about it. Bumper satisfies my womanly needs and I'm not so sure you can say the same about Jesse." Chloe's eyes darted to Beca.

"Yep! I am going to bed." Beca slapped the cushion and pushed herself off the couch.

"Beca.." Chloe mourned the loss of warmth as Beca left her side.

"..Wa-was it something I said?" Everyone glared at Amy. "Oh no.. I'm sorry, Beca." She sucked in a breath through her teeth. "I take it back?"

Chloe pushed herself off the couch to follow Beca who was already bundled up under her sheets. She easily curled up beside the brunette before whispering to her.

"Why didn't you tell them, Becs?"

"I don't know.. I'm sure they'll find out on their own soon enough."

"..She didn't mean that."

"I know.. I just didn't really have a comeback." She chuckled nervously.

Chloe watched as Beca lost her smile.

"Are you okay?"

"..I miss him a lot.. as a friend. But it makes me think you know? Aubrey and Luke have been together for 3 years too, and they're getting married. Jesse could have proposed to me, Chloe. And I probably would have said yes.."

"You and Aubrey have a lot in common now that I think about it."

"I never thought I'd hear that in a million years."

"Yeah, well I said it and it's out there now."

"Yeah.."

"You're not denying it?"

"..I'd be lying to myself if I did." Chloe smiled at her before turning around and pulling Beca's arm over her waist and falling asleep.

* * *

"What do you think I should start the set with?"

"Just follow your heart, Beca."

"I can't just follow my heart, Chlo! I'm texting her. They have to have some songs in mind. I'll work off what they give me. Wow! Great idea, Beca! Thanks, Beca you are just so good to me sometimes."

"Stop talking to yourself!"

Beca hopped onto her bed and pulled her phone off the charger. "What should I say?" She walked back over to the couch and dropped down next to Chloe. ".. Hello, Aubrey.. I was just wondering wha-"

"Stop being so formal with her! Here I'll call her." Chloe quickly snatched Beca's phone and pressed the call button.

"Chloe, snatching is a very bad habit."

"Shut up and grab my notebook to write this down."

"You are so mean to me sometimes. What happened to the nice Chloe I used to know? Where is she? I want her back."

"She's gone. She died when she found out she had to plan a wedding and a bachelorette party, move into an apartment and plan a trip in two weeks time all while trying to find a career in America's messed up education system."

"That's fair."

After a quick phone call to Aubrey, Beca was confident she could pull together something half decent for the wedding.

Beca was doodling on Chloe's notebook when the redhead pulled up the picture of the bridesmaid's dress on the laptop.

"So this is the dress we'll be wearing. What do you think?"

"I like it."

"You gotta give me more to work with here, Beca. What do you like about it?"

"Why? You guys already chose it so what does my opinion matter?"

"Beca, your opinion means the world to me okay? Now tell me what you like about it. Or don't like about it."

"Fine. I like.. the fact that it is sleeveless. Because sleeveless bras are just so much fun to wear." Beca squeaked in frustration and laid her head to rest on Chloe's shoulder.

"Oh yeah, I know but seriously, we will look so hot in these, it'll be worth it trust me. I mean, our boobs will be.. goddamn."

"What color is it going to be?"

"I'm pretty sure they're going to be deep blue."

"Okay, cool. I look really good in blue."

"You do, Becs." Chloe felt Beca smile against her shoulder.

"You do too. Makes your eyes pop. And your hair?" Beca whistled and Chloe let out a breathy chuckle. But it didn't last long when she remembered the details of Aubrey's situation.

"..I'm still worried about this whole thing."

"I know you are."

"What if she doesn't figure it out soon enough, Beca?"

"Then she could always get a divorce later."

"Beca!"

"What? All the cool kids are doing it."

"That is.. I have nothing to say to that."

"It's okay. She'll come to her senses, don't worry about it."

"You can't tell me not to worry about it. It's literally impossible for me not to worry about it."

"Fine. Don't worry too much about it."

"Still not possible." Beca sat up and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You need to relax, Beale."

"I can't.. there's too much going on." Beca stood and pulled the laptop off of Chloe. "What are you..?"

"Come on." Beca smiled sweetly as she pulled her to her feet.

"Why? Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Wear your flats." Beca ran into the bathroom and when she came back, she had two towels tucked under her arms and a dazzling smile on her face. "Leave your phone."

* * *

"We shouldn't be in here, Becs."

"What are they going to do? Kick us out? If anything they'll just say 'hey, you can't be in here.' And that'll be the end of that!"

Chloe's eyes darted around the room anxiously. She had to admit the hotel pool was beautiful with its calm blue lighting especially at night. It was serene. She quickly warmed up to the idea.

"Okay.. I mean, why would they have pool lights if they didn't want people swimming at night, right?"

"Exactly!" Beca pulled her shirt off and tossed it to the floor. Chloe couldn't help stealing a few glances as she stripped. They stopped when they were both in their undergarments.

"Okay you can't do that, Chlo."

"Do what?"

"You can't look at me like I'm naked."

"But you're almost naked.. plus.. I've seen you naked! So what does that even matter?"

"Yeah, but this just reminds me of that scene in The Notebook when they both got naked and just looked at each other before doing the bop it. And oh.. it matters, Chlo."

"First of all, the bop it?! Secondly, you watched The Notebook?"

"Like half! Jesse made me. He loves that sappy crap, you know this." Chloe nodded understandingly.

"I'm sorry he put you through that."

"Thank you for being so sympathetic."

Chloe held her hand out for Beca.

"..Jump?"

"Hell yes." They grinned at each other as Beca took her hand.

" **One**."

" **Two**." Beca flung Chloe towards the pool to try to throw her in first but the redhead quickly pulled her hand out of her grip as she squealed. They grinned wildly at each other.

"HO HO.. You evil little leprechaun!" They both giggled as they circled each other.

"Leprechaun?! Really?!"

"Yes?" Beca shook her head.

"..We're like sumo wrestlers."

"Stay away." Beca lunged at her. "No!" Chloe squealed as Beca cornered her. Her back was now to the pool. She looked at the brunette and whimpered with a pout on her face. She's never been so desperate. Her eyes widened when Beca grinned evilly.

"Not this time, Red."

"Beca, no."

"Beca, yes." Beca grinned and then pounced. Chloe quickly wrapped both her arms around her and fell into the water, pulling Beca in with her. "NOO!"

It's an odd feeling when you're wrapped around someone falling into the water. The skin on skin contact the second you're in midair before being engulfed in the cold water, both sensations will send shocks through your body. And both girls felt them.

They both sputtered as they resurfaced. "Oh my god. I'm drowning." Chloe splashed water into Beca's face as she laughed.

"Do you need CPR?" Beca coughed a few times before squinting at her. She thought she died a little when Chloe winked at her.

"So much water went into my nose. It's in my brain now."

"What brain?"

"Jesus don't you think I'm hurting enough as it is?!" Beca splashed back at Chloe as the redhead bit her lip playfully. "..Race you to the other side!" Chloe watched amusedly as Beca slowly paddled past her.

"Beca, I was in my high school swim team for all four years. And I was a volunteer lifeguard for all four of those summers. You do not want to race me."

"You say that! But I'm already halfway there!" Chloe quickly pushed herself off the pool wall and suddenly found herself behind Beca's feet that paddled hastily. She grabbed one of Beca's ankles and yanked her back.

"You fucking cheater!" Beca desperately grasped for one of Chloe's limbs as the redhead swam ahead of her.

"I gave you a head start!"

"Time out! Restart! Cheater!"

"Nope!"

"I hate you." Beca floated there watching the redhead swim away. She smirked when Chloe reached the other side and spun around with her arms in the air.

"I win!"

"I let you win!" Even from 15 yards away she could see the gleam of Chloe's eyes.

_How blue can those things get?!_

"Whatever makes you feel better, Becs!" She shook her head before mumbling to herself.

"..I always let you win."

* * *

"Did that help?"

"Yeah. But I'm still freaking out a little."

"Well, I tried.." Beca flopped onto the couch as she dried her hair with her towel. Chloe stared at her as she bit her lip. Her heart swelled in her chest.

_This is the girl I'm in love with._

"Chloe."

"Hm?" Chloe walked over and dropped into the seat next to her. She smiled to herself when Beca laid her head on her shoulder again.

"..We go back in two days."

"I know." They sat there quietly. This trip had been the best two weeks of their lives if they were being honest. Even with the phone snatching, testicle beating and face elbowing. But their time in this Italian paradise was ending fast and both girls dreaded leaving beautiful Rome to return to the real world where they had responsibilities and ties to certain people that they honestly didn't care for.

"I really don't want to go back." Chloe brought her arm over Beca's shoulder to pull her in close.

"Me neither, Becs. But we are.. adults. Ugh, that sounds so ugly."

"Heh.. Yeah.." Beca's phone rang from the coffee table and she picked it up without looking at the caller id. "Hello?"

"Beca." Her heart sank when she recognized the drunken voice. She quickly sat up.

"Jesse?" Chloe's eyes snapped to Beca's.

"Ha! So you do remember me!"

_This is going to be a fucking disaster._

She closed her eyes.

"Jesse, please tell me you're not drunk right now."

"And so what if I am? What do you care?" Beca stood as she took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. Chloe watched her nervously.

"Jesse, of course I car-"

"You know what, Beca?" Beca hesitated, unsure of what was to come. Chloe stood up and mouthed "What does he want?" She shrugged and took a few steps away from the redhead.

"What, Jess?"

"Can I just say this one thing? Because I can't- it's so fucking ridiculous that I can't get over it."

"No one's stopping you."

"Fuck you, Beca."

"Are you kidding me right n-"

"-Listen to me! For fuck's sake!" Beca cringed. Her breath and heart rate quickened and her palms started to sweat. "Listen to me, Beca!" It was quiet for far too long before he spoke again. ".. It's so fucking ridiculous you know?" His voice was vulnerable and desperate.

"You cannot be doing this right now, Jesse."

"You know what? Things don't always go as planned, Beca. You said it yourself."

"What the fuck do you want?!" Chloe quickly grabbed Beca's arm and gave her a concerned look. She gestured for the redhead to settle down and turned away. Chloe was a little hurt but she sat down anyways and listened closely with her lips caught between her teeth.

"What the fuck do I want? I want-lemme think. I want.." Beca clenched her jaw impatiently. "I want for you.. to tell me what the fuck I was to you.."

"Jesse, I-"

"Three years, Beca!" He screamed into the phone. "That's not a lot in the long run, but for people like you and me, it is. Three fucking years I gave to you. To you! And you fucking shat on it. And you know what? Do you know how long it took for it to all fall apart? It took three days. Three fucking days on your little vacation it took for you to break up with me.. And I felt it. I felt it all go to shit. Every fucking hour of those three days I felt everything we had crumble. Bit by bit it all fell apart..So I wanna know.." His voice cracked and Beca felt the hurt in every word he spoke and with each one, she crumbled a little more. "I want to know.. when you knew that you didn't love me.. When you decided to string me along like some pathetic fucking ragdoll just because you felt pity for me. I want to know what you thought of before you fell asleep next to me every time you spent the night. Because I know you weren't thinking about me. I want to know if.. if every time you looked at me.. did.. did you see me as someone who loved you? Or did you see me as a burden?" Beca tried hard to blink back the tears. Her throat tightened as she desperately gasped for more air, there didn't seem to be enough. She saw Chloe stand and start to approach again through her blurry vision but she quickly shook her head and turned away again. "Three days! Isn't that ridiculous, Beca?"

"Jess.."

"Actually! It didn't even take that long did it?! No, no.. On the first day of your little trip, I called you! Now that's just sad. Do you remember it? The first day you were gone I called and I fucking asked you if I should be worried about Chloe. So I guess that's really when it all fell apart right? When I grew the balls to ask you that question? When I started to wise up? You couldn't let that happen right, Beca?!"

"Would you please just stop it?!"

"Stop what?! I'm telling you how it happened. That's how it happened right?! I might've been drunk but I remember it as clear as day. I swear I remember every second of that phone call.. So tell me, Beca. What happened that day? What happened that made you realize you had to break up with me? Did I interrupt something?"

"Nothing fucking happe-"

"-BULLSHIT, BECA! That's all you do, huh?! You lie and lie and lie and push people away and shut them out and fuck them over!" She shut her eyes tightly as she sunk down on the floor. She whimpered through her unsteady breath.

"Don't."

"Don't what? Tell you the truth? Tell you that you're a fucking liar? A cold-hearted bitch? Because that's what you are. I gave you everything! And you lied to my face. Day after day for three fucking years. Tell me.. tell me when I said I loved you, did it make you cringe? Did you even hesitate when you lied and said you loved me back? Or were you on autopilot by then?" She wiped her eyes as he took a deep breath. ".. I wanted kids with you.."

"I-I.."

"Right.. Nothing to say.. 'Cause I see you for who you really are. You're a poison.. and you hurt everyone who gets too close. And you know what? I hope Chloe knows that.. for her sake. I hope she knows that you, Beca Mitchell.. you are not a good person.. You might just be the worst person I know."

He hung up and Beca broke down. Chloe quickly ran over to wrap her in a hug. She sobbed until she couldn't anymore and Chloe stayed with her. She wiped her tears every time they fell. She held her in her arms every time her posture faltered. She spoke softly to her every time it was too quiet. She sang to her every time she couldn't think of words to say. And she continued to sing to her after she was long past asleep.

 

 


	15. "Thou Hast Wounded My Heart"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have come full circle. I love you all and I'm sorry for last chapter, honestly y'all had it too good with all that fluff. But enough of that, let's get corny again.

"Are you okay?" Beca kept her eyes on the clouds out the window, the world was so vibrant and lively but the day, the atmosphere, the ambiance was intense. Sensitive. Tense and tight and thick with unease and heartache. It worried Chloe. She snaked a hand over Beca's and felt the girl flinch under her. The movement scared her more than anything. Beca had never once flinched at her touch before. Sure she scared her a few times with her abrasiveness and nudity that one time, but Chloe's very presence was familiar to Beca, it has been ever since that fateful moment they had shared in the showers. But now that progress in their relationship was compromised and it scared her. A lot.

"I'm gonna wash up." Beca pulled her hand away and stood from the bed.

"Beca.." Beca avoided her eyes and turned away. Chloe watched worriedly as the brunette scuffled into the restroom. She felt a tear glide down her cheek when Beca closed the door. She hesitantly stood and walked over to the closed door as soon as she heard the water start to run.

She placed a hand on the door and slowly crept closer. She could hear Beca's shaky breaths through the door as she laid her ear to it. She was crying. The sound itself clenched onto Chloe's heart and physically weighed her down. She backed away from the door, afraid Beca was going to hear her unsteady breath and wiped her tears as she retreated back to her bed.

* * *

"Hey, is the little one okay?" Stacie nudged Chloe with her shoulder before sipping her drink. They were both slumped on their own barstools sullenly watching over the rest of the girls who were variously scattered across the pub.

"She's.. going through some stuff." Chloe watched Beca from across the bar. The brunette was sitting alone in a booth staring down at the table in front of her occasionally she would trace the carvings in the wood with her fingertips.

"And you?" She turned and her tired eyes met Stacie's.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine.."

"Chlo.." Chloe reluctantly gave in after a few deep breaths and she looked back to Beca who was now rubbing her temples slowly with her eyes closed and brows knitted together.

"Seeing her like that-it's.. I've never seen her like that before, Stace. It's like she's broken." Chloe huffed as if she was trying to relieve the pit in her chest.

"What happened?"

"..So much. I don't even know honestly." She looked back up into Stacie's eyes remembering her conversation with Beca the other day about the taller girl's behavior. "..Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since that night at the other bar you've been.. quiet and not yourself."

"It's nothing." Stacie broke eye contact to look down at her glass as she shrugged.

"It's something, Stace.. You can talk to me."

"You have a lot on your plate. You'll find out soon enough though I promise." Chloe nodded even though she much rather would have preferred a straightforward answer.

"I'm starting to think that we're all just grumpy because we don't want to go back yet."

"That's one of the factors for sure."

"This isn't right. It's our last day here. We should be having fun."

"Shit happens, Chlo."

"I'm gonna go try to talk to her again."

"Good luck."

Chloe approached Beca hesitantly with a drink in each hand and her molars clamped down on the inside of her cheeks.

"Hey, you okay?" Beca watched quietly as Chloe settled herself in the seat across from her. She stared at Chloe's lips that were puckered to the side.

"..I'm fine."

"Here." Chloe slowly slid the drink over the sticky table to her. Beca stared at her with a confused look on her face before taking the beer and slowly taking a sip.

"Thanks."

Chloe leaned in closer to whisper.

".. Please talk to me, Becs." Beca couldn't look at her, her eyes dropped down to the drink in her clammy hands.

"Not now, Chlo."

"Why not?"

".. Look it's our last day here and we should just enjoy it okay?"

"Yeah I totally agree with you. Except you're sitting here all by yourself not talking to anyone being nothing but miserable right now.. And I can't take it when you're miserable. And it's making me miserable. It's agonizing.. Please, Beca? Forget about whatever it was he said to you."

Beca clenched her jaw as tightly as she could as tears began to well in her eyes. She glared down at a specific carving on the table that had a pair of initials inside of a crooked heart. The very idea of the unknown couple made her angry. How dare they be happily in love with each other when she was hurting so much. It wasn't fair.

"I can't."

"Then talk to me."

"Not here."

" **Then let's go**." Beca looked up into Chloe's sad eyes. They were desperate and heavy with burden, but bright nonetheless. And it was her fault that those familiar eyes were uncharacteristically lacking its usual cheerfulness. But it was Chloe, and she was sitting there anyways, making herself vulnerable for Beca, hoping she'd do the same, waiting for her to open up like she always would.

And she still had that fire behind her eyes. That fire that subconsciously persuaded Beca to audition for The Bellas four years ago. But it was a little dull.. maybe because it was hidden behind her tears.

She sniffled as she looked down and brushed her nose with her thumb before tracing over the carving again with her fingers. Chloe reached over to hold her restless hand and her eyes instinctively locked onto Chloe's. And it made her feel warm again.

"..Do you want to go for a walk?"

"You don't even need to ask, Beca."

* * *

"Did you remember the way or did you look up the directions?"

"I remembered the way. But I looked it up too. It's called Ponte Sant'Angelo.. come on." Beca held tightly onto Chloe's hand as they stepped back onto the bridge.

Chloe couldn't help thinking about how clammy Beca's hand was at that moment. But she pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She didn't care if Beca's hand was covered in shit, if Beca needed for her to hold her hand, then she would without hesitation.

"Why are we back here, Becs?" Beca shrugged and stopped when she found the angel. She didn't have to force a smile as she looked up to admire it.

"It's called Angel with the Lance-which is kind of a boring name but hey, what can I do about it right?"

"Beca.."

"The inscription reads 'Thou hast wounded my heart'. It's something from the bible I think, I'm not sure." Chloe stepped closer as she nodded her head. "..Beautiful right?"

"..Yeah."

It was quiet and the tension made the air thick.

"..Do you know the band Phox?"

"Becs.."

"Please? Just.." Beca was on the verge of tears and her hand was shaking so Chloe held on tighter in a desperate attempt to make it stop.

"..No, I don't."

"..They have this song called Noble Heart.."

"Sing it for me?" Beca unsurely looked into her eyes and was met with Chloe's reassuring smile. "Please?" She nodded as her eyes dropped to the floor. She took a deep, uneasy breath and looked back into Chloe's eyes before singing. It was soft and quiet and serene but it hurt just as much as it calmed.

"..Did they already tell you? I'm a low-level poison to drink through.. I'd like to prove them wrong, but patterns show they're telling the truth." She held back her sobs trying hard to get through the verses.  
"And yours is a noble heart I don't deserve to hold.. Please, somebody make me weak. Keep me away from the sea.. but sirens, I swear, are the death of me. I want the mouths of all who sing.. And yours is a noble heart I don't deserve to hold.." Beca's shoulders slumped and she began to cry again. Chloe instinctively stepped forward and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Beca, what did he say to you?" The question made the smaller girl sob even more. Beca hiccupped a few times before she could finally speak clearly.

".. He said.." Beca gripped tightly onto Chloe's shirt. "He said I was the worst person he knew.."

"Beca.."

"He said I was a poison."

"Beca, listen to me."

"And that I'll hurt whoever gets too close.. and he's.. he's right, Chlo."

"No he's not."

"Yes he is.. I'm an asshole. I am the worst person I know, Chloe!" Chloe pulled back so she could look her in the eyes. "I felt.. nothing for him. Jesse is sweet and nice and I dragged him along for three years. And he loved me. He was in love with  **me**."

"None of that is your fault! You are a good person. The best one I know that's for damn sure. Sure, he gave you three years but you gave him that too, Beca. You tried to love him, didn't you? You gave him just as much and it was a lot harder for you. It's easy to give to someone you love. It's  **so**  easy.. You didn't fake it on purpose, Beca. That's all that matters. You didn't know. You're not a poison."

"I am. I'm a fucking poison." She peered into the brunette's deep blue eyes and held her tightly.

"Stop! You're not a poison okay?!" She waited for Beca to agree before she hugged her again. "You need to understand that everyone hurts someone at some point. It's inevitable." Beca nodded into Chloe's shoulder as they hugged.

Neither girl wanted to let go of the other quite yet but they had things to do and places to be so Chloe, being the adult she is, reluctantly spoke up after a few silent minutes of hugging.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so.."

"I hate to ruin the moment but.. it's our last day here, Becs."

"It is.." Beca sniffled.

"Yeahh.. and we are leaving in the morning so we really need to go pack up our stuff tonight." Beca pulled away as she rubbed her nose.

"Yeah let's go."

"You sure you're okay?" Beca looked into her lively eyes again. And they seemed lighter. The very sight of them made Beca's heart race, it was the best feeling in the world. She sighed as Chloe wiped her tears.

"Yeah. I just.. really needed that." Beca smiled sweetly at Chloe as they began to walk. "Thanks, Chlo." Chloe threw an arm over Beca's shoulder to keep her close as they walked.

"I'm here for you whenever you need me, Becs. I hope you know that."

"..I do."

* * *

Beca watched the artificial snow float to the bottom of the globe quietly as Chloe folded her clothes from across the room. She was seated on the couch with her back to the armrest and her legs outstretched across the sofa. Occasionally, she would steal a glance at the redhead and smile to herself.

"Beca, you need to pack."

"I will."

"We're leaving early tomorrow."

"I know, you told me like six times." Chloe stopped what she was doing to look over at the quiet girl.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Beca kept her gaze on the tiny flakes as she turned the globe upside down. She whispered to herself as she looked back at Chloe who was already staring back, lost in her own thoughts. "Thou hast wounded my heart." Their eyes lingered on each other's for a second longer than usual.

Chloe watched her mumble under her breath but she quickly dismissed it to turn back to her suitcase.

"Why are you so weird?"

"I'm not weird!"

"Sure, Becs.. Would you hurry up and start packing your stuff?!" Beca threw her head back to lay it on the armrest as she listened to Chloe's suitcase being zipped up.

"I don't want to.." Chloe pulled her luggage off her bed and set it aside as Beca continued to groan.

"Come on, I'll help."

"Ew, no. I don't want you handling my stuff."

"Becs.. "

"Okay.. fine. Two seconds. Just two seconds." Beca inhaled a deep breath through her nose and let it out in an ugly groan. She rolled off the couch and hopped to her feet.

"You good?"

"Yeah. Let's do this." Beca shuffled her feet as she made her way to her empty suitcase that laid open on her bed. She stopped when Chloe darted past her and dove over the luggage, onto the bed. She smiled as the redhead tumbled onto the mattress and rolled over a few times before propping herself sideways on her elbow. Chloe batted her eyelashes as she smiled back. "Nine."

"Aca-scuse me?! That was a ten! I totally stuck that landing."

"Nine point five." Chloe scoffed as Beca walked over to the dresser and pulled out a tied bag of dirty clothes.

"Hater." The redhead sat up as Beca prepared to shoot the bundle of dirty laundry into the luggage. "Miss. Miss. Miss!"

"Watch and learn." Beca winked at her before tossing it into the air.

The plastic bag was about a foot away from the luggage when Chloe leaned over and swatted it out of the air and onto the floor.

"Rejected!"

Beca threw her arms wide as her mouth hung open.

"Really?!" She couldn't help the genuine smile from appearing on her face when the redhead giggled. She walked over to pick up the bag as Chloe shuffled to the side of the bed and leaned over to look into the drawer.

"Ooh.. what is this?!" Beca spun around to find Chloe dangling a black lacy thong on her finger. "Who were planning on wearing this for, Becs?"

Beca blushed furiously as she jumped forward retrieve it from the redhead. Chloe shoved a hand in her face to keep it from her.

"Don't. That's expensive!"

"Expensive too? Who are you trying to impress, Beca? Jesse didn't come on this trip with us, so who's it for?" Beca rolled her eyes at the thought of Jesse. She stepped back and crossed her arms to glare at Chloe.

"What? I can't wear that for myself?"

"No. Oh no, Beca. Not something like this. This is too.." Beca saw her chance when the redhead dangled it between them to give it another look, she snatched it from Chloe before bundling it up and shoving it in her pocket as fast as she could. Chloe was biting her lip when she looked back up at her. ".. seductive."

Beca squinted at her, trying to find a witty reply somewhere hidden in that now scrambled brain of hers. She rolled her eyes when nothing came to mind.

"..Shut up." She blushed again. "You play too much."

"Playing is fun. You're too serious."

"I'm not serious. I am fun as hell. How dare you?" Beca feigned offense when Chloe laughed at her. Chloe laid back down as Beca continued to pack her things.

"You're fun with me.. but when we're with everyone else you turn into tiny little grumpy Beca.. which is adorable but.. I don't know."

"I'm not adorable."

"Yes, you are. Sometimes you're too adorable." Beca froze when Chloe looked at her. There's something about Chloe Beale laying on her bed, staring at her with half-hooded eyes that made the hair on Beca's neck stand up.

"Woah, okay. My middle name is badass, okay? Literally."

"Literally? Your name is literally Rebecca Badass Mitchell?"

"Fuck yeah it is! It's on my birth certificate! When I was born, the doctor who pulled me out had to retire because she made it. There's nowhere to go after you made it to the top, Chloe! I stunned her with my fleek-jitsu! The nurses went blind after witnessing me bless the doctor with my presence. It was a holy experience." Chloe giggled as Beca folded her clothes into the luggage. "And then I beat the shit out of all of them for looking at my mom's vagina."

"Stop! Ew, too much."

"Stop? I'm recounting my birth for you. You should be begging me to continue." Chloe could swear she heard a hint of flirtation when Beca said it.

Chloe smiled down at the mattress as she picked at some imaginary lint. There's something about that last sentence that made her blush. Her mind wandered to dark, sultry places as she laid there quietly. Palms. Thighs. Hips. Lower backs. Necks.

She glanced up at Beca's neck. It looked soft. She couldn't remember the last time she touched that neck, or if she ever touched it at all.

"What are you thinking?" Her eyes shot up to Beca's and she wondered if the brunette somehow developed the ability to read minds.

"Nothing." She buried her face in the mattress to hide her rosy cheeks.

"You're blushing. It was something."

"I'm not blushing." She lifted her face again to look at Beca only to smile when she felt her face become flushed again. Beca smirked at her with that tiny smirk of hers that made Chloe's blood feel like ice and fire all at the same time.

"Right. Totally not blushing at all. Look at yourself, your cheeks are as red as your hair." Chloe pursed her lips as Beca zipped up the luggage and pulled it off the bed.

"It's just really hot in here." Beca rolled her eyes before crawling onto the bed and laying down next the redhead.

"It's just you." Chloe slowly smiled down at her as she rested her chin on her fist.

"Rebecca Badass Mitchell, did you just call me hot?" Beca rolled her eyes again, this time with twice as much force.

"..I literally cannot say anything without you somehow interpreting it as a compliment."

"Maybe everything you say is a compliment for me and you just don't realize it."

"Because everything is always about you, right?"

"Right." A small smile grew on Beca's face. She closed her eyes to better ignore Chloe's gaze.

".. Right."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't be mad at me for not having them kiss at the bridge. Beca needed friend Chloe okay guys? Next chapter we will be back in Atlanta, Ga. I'm loving the slow burn guys, it makes the kiss all the more worth it when it happens. Stick with me here, pleasee. Thanks for reading. I seriously love you all. Also bless people who comment on fanfic, you are all so damn lovely  
> PHOX - Noble Heart


	16. "Your Fortune Lies Within Another Cookie"

"Where did she say it was?" Chloe was getting frustrated. They had arrived back in Georgia around 9pm and she was tired from the flight. The sun had already set and the two were standing on the porch of the bella house with their luggages crowding the steps.

"She said specifically under the lightest rock in the cactus pot."

"Why would she keep the key in the cactus pot, Beca?! That's just dangerous!"

"I don't know! Em is a little weird but hey if she wants to keep the key in the cactus pot then let her!"

"It's not in there. Would you please just text her? It's getting really dark."

"Fine! But watch, if I find the key in that pot, I'm going to murder you, Beale." Beca quickly pulled her phone out and sent a text to Emily.

**10:14 pm**

**Beca: Legacy we can't find the key. Where'd you say it was?**

She shoved her phone back in her pocket and approached the cactus pot.

"It's not in there."

"Yes it is." Beca quickly flipped over a few rocks with her finger, her movements were quick but precise and careful, she wasn't a fan of needles but then again, who is?

"Wanna bet?"

"Red, I do not have time for this." Beca brushed her finger along the dirt feeling for any foreign objects.

"Five bucks."

"Deal." Beca quickly turned to shake Chloe's hand. "It's in here." She kept her eyes on Chloe's as she turned back to continue searching for the key. A dumb move really. Typical Beca.

She jumped when a needle poked her knuckle.

"Ow!" Beca turned back to the redhead with a pout on her face. "I got poked!" She held her hand out for Chloe to see and began to bounce in a frenzied panic."It's still in there!"

"Calm down. Let me see." Chloe grabbed her by the wrist to stop her from moving as she searched for the needle when Beca's phone dinged indicating a text. "Oh is that her? I'm about to be five dollars richer."

"Would you please focus! I'm in pain!"

"Fine." Chloe searched for the needle again. She had to pull out her phone for better lighting. The needle was found wedged at the base of Beca's index finger and was easily pulled out. "There." Chloe smiled and brought Beca's hand up to her mouth and quickly planted a kiss on it. She thought she saw Beca bite her lip in the darkness but maybe it was just her imagination. "What did Em say?"

"Oh, right.." Beca reached for her phone again but this time with her healthy hand. She read the text aloud. " **Legacy: It's under the lightest rock inside the christmas cactus pot.**  SEE! Told you."

"Beca, you sad child, you." Chloe shook her head in sympathy.

"What?" Chloe pointed over to another pot that was overflowing with pink droopy flowers. She brought her phone up to shine the light at it.

"That is the christmas cactus." She walked over to the pot and quickly found the lightest rock. "And this.." She flipped over the rock and grinned widely when she spotted the key that shined brightly under her phone's light. "This is the key." Chloe picked it up and turned to show Beca the key in her hand.

"That.. is a christmas cactus?"

"Yep."

"That's a fucking flower, Chloe. Who in the hell named that a christmas cactus?!"

"The leaves have thorns but this one doesn't have that much."

"That is bullshit!"

"Pay up." Beca scoffed before reluctantly pulling out some cash from her pocket.

"I only have a ten." Chloe traded the key for the cash and patted the smaller girl's cheek.

"Thanks, beb." Beca rolled her eyes before stepping up to the door to unlock it. But she stopped after opening the door.

The redhead stared at the back of her head after almost bumping into her.

"..What?"

"..It's so empty."

"Well we are alone here, Becs." The brunette took a step inside and stopped again.

"I don't know how I should feel about this.. I've always been on your guys' asses about peace and quiet but now that everyone's gone.. it's.."

"Too quiet?" She turned to face the redhead.

".. Yeah.."

"I know.. do you need a hug?"

"No."

"Come on, you need a hug." Chloe slowly stepped forward and snaked her arms around her neck. She nuzzled into Beca as she took in her scent. She tensed a little when she felt Beca's hesitant arms wrap around her waist but quickly let herself relax in the other girl's arms.

"..Okay I'm good."

"Wait." Chloe gave her a quick, tight squeeze before slipping back out of her arms.

"..I'm starting to think that hug wasn't for me."

"You can think all you want. But do it later because we need to get our stuff off the porch." Beca stepped past her to get outside. Her hand brushed Chloe's belt as she squeezed through the doorway and the contact made her arm limp but she shook off the feeling.

"I know I said I didn't want to come back, but now that we're here.. it feels good. We're home you know?"

"Don't get too comfy. It's only our home for the night." She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder before grabbing one of the luggages.

"I know.."

"Remember, we have to do laundry today."

Beca groaned.

"I call first wash."

"Fine but I'm not gonna wait for you, Becs. If it's empty when I get up there, I'm putting my stuff in."

"Fine."

Chloe got first wash since the brunette had completely forgotten about it after she pulled out the snow globe from her backpack. She sat in her room and stared at it for hours when she was supposed to be unpacking.

Beca's last load was in the dryer when she finally realized how hungry she was.

"Order pizza!"

"You!" Chloe's voice echoed through the bella house from the kitchen.

"I'm so hungry I can't move.." Beca was limp on the couch. "Please, Chlo! I'm starving."

"I don't want pizza! After having real pizza in Rome, delivery will never be able to satisfy me ever again."

"Fine what do you want?" Chloe made her way to the couch with two glasses and a wine bottle in hand. "..Do you ever drink water?!"

"Beca, I really need to relax right now. That trip was the greatest thing ever but I need to just sit down, take a breath and have some wine like a fancy person."

"What do you want to eat?"

"I want some pad thai."

"That place doesn't deliver, Chloe." Chloe had a pleading expression on her face as she sat down.

"Please?"

"But.." Chloe set the glasses and wine bottle down on the coffee table and waved her hand.

"Okay, wine can wait. Let's go. You're driving." She made her way to the front door and grabbed her keys from the bowl.

"You really trust me with your car when I'm weak like this?"

"You're the safest driver I know. I think you can handle it." She dropped the keys in Beca's palm and stepped outside.

"Okay, but no complaining."

"If there's anyone who's going to complain, it's you."

"You know me so well."

The girls hopped in Chloe's yellow bug and Beca slowly backed out of the driveway after asking multiple times and making sure  **twice**  that Chloe was securely strapped in.

"Why are you driving so slow?"

"Because I don't want to die.. stop complaining I'm going the speed limit!"

"I'm not complaining, I'm just asking." Beca looked away from the road to glance at her as the redhead plugged in the auxiliary cord to her phone. Chloe smiled up at Beca as she pressed play.

**Yo', man (Yo') Open up, man (What do you want, man?) My girl just caught me. (You let her catch you?) I don't know how I let this happen (With who?) The girl next door, you know (Man) I don't know what to do (Say it wasn't you) Alright.**

Beca bit her lip and nodded with a wide smile on her face. Chloe didn't hesitate to sing along with the song.

"Honey came in, and she caught me redhanded creepin' with the girl next door. Picture this we we're both butt naked banging on the bathroom door. How could I forget that I had given her an extra key? All this time she was standing there, she never took her eyes off me." Chloe rolled her body as she sang to Beca.

They both danced and mumbled along with the rap since they both couldn't understand what the man was saying. But they both easily jumped back in when the singing started again.

"But she caught me on the counter." Chloe leaned close to the brunette as she sang.

"It wasn't me."

"Saw me banging on the sofa."

"It wasn't me."

"I even had her in the shower."

"It wasn't me."

"She even caught me on camera." Chloe grabbed onto Beca's shirt and tugged on it. Beca's smile grew even wider as she bobbed her head and sang.

"It wasn't me."

They pulled up to a stop light and rolled both their windows down and cranked up the volume. The car was bouncing as they danced.

"She saw the marks on my shoulder."

"It wasn't me."

"Heard the words that I told her."

"It wasn't me."

"Heard the screams getting louder."

"It wasn't me."

"She stayed until it was over!"

Beca quickly lowered the volume when another car pulled up next to them. The two kept their eyes glued on the stop light and their mouths shut as they heard a window being rolled down.

"Aye girl turn that up!" Both of their eyes shot to the other car with a young man leaning out the window of the passenger seat and a woman in the driver's seat. "That's my jam. Come on. Please?"

"Beca.. it's his jam." Chloe winked at Beca causing the brunette to blush.

She hesitantly reached over to turn the volume back up. They both grinned when the young man started dancing in his seat. The woman spoke up.

"I'm so sorry he's always bothering people!" Beca waved her off as she watched the man start to sing. They didn't even notice when the light had turned green. Chloe leaned over Beca to sing along with the stranger.

"Gonna tell her that I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused. I've been listening to your reason, it makes no sense at all. We should tell her that I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused. You may think that you're a player, but you're completely lost. That's why I sing." The man stopped singing to let Chloe shine in all her glory and when the song finally ended, he nodded approvingly.

"Okay! Okay! White girl got some rhythm. Babe, look white girl got rhythm. I love it."

"I'm so sorry for my husband." Chloe waved her off.

"No, that was great!" She looked up to see the light had already turned red again. Unsure of what to do, she turned to Beca who was already watching her with her usual smirk on her lips. "What?" She whispered in her face.

"Nothing."

"-Y'all some lesbians?"

Beca choked and Chloe smiled.

"Babe! Oh my God! You can't just-"

"I love me some lesbians.. not like that!.. Well yeah like that too but-"

"Shut the fuck up, Babe! That's none of your damn business! I am so sorry! You don't need to answer that!"

"I'm just asking! Are you? If you don't mind me asking." He turned to glare at his wife who was rolling her eyes."I know it's none of my business! They don't need to answer!"

Beca watched as Chloe slowly averted her gaze from the other car back into her own eyes with an evil grin on her lips. Chloe's eyes were different though, like she had flipped some imaginary switch and now suddenly, instead of bright and gleeful, they're dark and sultry, half hooded and filled with suggestion.

"I don't know.. Are you, Becs?"

Beca didn't like talking about herself and she didn't like thinking too much, she's always just accepted how she was, who she is. Because whenever she would think about something, she wouldn't be able to stop herself. Maybe that's why she was so impulsive. She would think, over analyze, jump to conclusions, panic, disregard the thought and then rinse and repeat. And she'd always be back where she started again. It was a stupid cycle. She was filled with those.

So she's never really thought about her sexuality, she's never had the opportunity to just sit down and think about what she wanted in a partner. Her mind was always too occupied with other things like music, because music always made her happy and it was easy to drown herself in it, to immerse herself rhythm and lyrics and to forget about the real world for a while. So she's never really gone through her promised share of the boy crazy phase that her relatives always warned her about, but she just always blamed that on her interest in music and nothing else. She's had crushes on people that she's attracted to, and she's never thought twice about whatever gender that person was, even if they were mostly girls. So sure, she's never really understood all the hype about boys. But did that make her lesbian? Or bi? She really didn't know. And she really didn't want to think about that too much. Because what would that even change if she considered herself lesbian? Nothing. It wouldn't change one thing.. Would it?

She was sure Chloe could hear her pounding heart. She felt every heartbeat in her throat, fingertips, and ear drums.

"I-" Beca has never been religious. But boy, was she praying now.

She thought she could cry when the faint red light that haloed Chloe's face turned green.

"Well, bye. It was nice singing with you!"

"Oh yeah bye!" Beca grinned nervously at Chloe who was still hovering over her as the other car drove off. "Well that was kind of awesome." Chloe leaned back into her seat. Beca gripped the steering wheel tightly, afraid Chloe would see her hand shaking.

".. Yeah."

* * *

"Fortune cookies are for Chinese food. Why do they give out fortune cookies if it's Thai food?"

"Because they can, don't question it. Be thankful you have a cookie along with your meal."

"Fine. Toss me one, please." Chloe aimed for the brunette's forehead and was satisfied when the cookie hit it's mark. Beca squinted at her as they both broke open their crackers. " **Your fortune lies within another cookie**.. What kind of bullshit fortune is that, Chloe?! I want a refund." Chloe chuckled as Beca slumped into the couch. "What does yours say?"

"Umm..  **You stayed when you didn't have to. Consider your reason for doing so and you will be happy**.. huh.." It was quiet as Chloe leaned back.

"Okay.. that makes sense. You stayed at Barden for three years right? What the hell, I got that shit fortune and you got that holy grail?!"

"But your cookie said your fortune lies within another cookie. Maybe it meant mine."

".. What?"

"Beca.. this fortune is for both of us. I stayed three years but you did too. Didn't you have some kind of deal with your dad?"

"Yeah.. but.."

"It's for the both of us, Beca." Beca's brows knitted together in confusion as Chloe ripped the paper in half.

"What are you doing?" She sat up as Chloe approached and settled herself next to her.

"Here.. now we both have halves." Chloe handed her the slip before grabbing her phone.

".. Okay, what's happening?" Beca watched as the redhead pulled off her phone case and laid the paper inside it before putting it back onto her phone.

"There. Safe."

Chloe smiled when Beca did the same with her phone.

"..Consider your reason for doing so and you will be happy."

Well that was easy. Chloe already knew her reason for staying. But Beca didn't need to know about that just yet. So she changed the subject.

"What time are we meeting with the landlord tomorrow?"

"Noon." Chloe picked up the empty to go box and began to make her way towards the kitchen.

"Okay. I'm going to bed then."

"Wait noo.. we should think about this." Beca grabbed Chloe's hand weakly.

"We can think about it later. It is 3am, I'm tired, and you are too. Look at yourself."

"I'm not tired at all." Beca closed her eyes and her expression quickly relaxed. She jumped when Chloe snapped in her face.

"Wake up. Come on let's go." Chloe pulled Beca off the couch and wrapped her arm around her waist.

"Okay but can we sleep in your bed.. Amy's side of the room is all empty and depressing and I always liked sleeping in your bed anyways."

"Sure, beb."

The girls quickly brushed their teeth and washed their faces, maybe a little less efficiently than usual since they were eager to get to bed.

"Where's your phone?" Beca sat cross legged on Chloe's bed as the redhead approached from the restroom.

"Why?" Chloe slid into the sheets beside Beca and reached for her phone that was on the nightstand.

"I want to listen to something." She gave Beca her phone before turning back to the nightstand to turn off the light.

"What are you putting on?" Beca tried hard to ignore Chloe's hand that somehow landed on her bare knee and was now tracing circles on it. But it soon demanded every inch of her attention.

"Sh. Just listen." Beca scooted down and laid down next to her as the song began to play. After sliding the phone under her pillow, she lifted her arm to make space for Chloe to fit inside them. The redhead didn't hesitate to fit herself against her.

**Tell me something give me hope for the night.**

**We don't know how we feel.**

**We're just praying that we're doing this right.**

**Though that's not the way it seems.**

Chloe could feel Beca's breath on her neck as she hummed along to the song, along with her heart that played a constant rhythm against her back.

**Summer gone, now winter's on it's way**

**I will miss the days we had**

**The days we've had.**

**I will miss the days we had**

**The days we've had.**

**Oh I'll miss the days we had.**

It was simple, their routine. They would wash up, then head to bed together. And they would cuddle together. And fall asleep together. Always together. It was something neither of the girls knew they needed quite yet. But just because they didn't know they needed it, didn't mean they needed it any less. The other was their security blanket. They felt safe together, like they were only home when they were in each other's arms. But neither noticed, neither thought twice about retreating into the other's arms after a long day.

It was their routine, and it was simple. Beautifully simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was basically a filler chapter I'm not going to deny it but I'm sorry. I need to have fillers to get where I need to be, if that makes any sense. I love you guys for putting up with all my shit. Stick with me guys
> 
> Shaggy - It Wasn't Me  
> The Head and The Heart - Winter Song


	17. "You Don't Need One"

"Sign here.. and here.. and one last time here... and you're done!" Chloe squealed in excitement as the landlord reached into his pocket for the keys. He was a tall man, in his late 40's with grays just starting to show in his scruffy beard. He looked tired but happy nonetheless. "Now, you two can move in whenever you're ready. If you need, I know some movers-"

"That won't be necessary."

"Beca, are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Okay that's fine. Here is the key.. And I am done here. Have fun ladies." He handed Beca the keys and shook hands with her before turning to Chloe to do the same. "If you need me for anything, I'm downstairs. I can fix anything I promise." Chloe smiled at the man as he opened the door to leave.

"Of course, thank you so much."

He nodded before stepping out closing the door behind him.

"Okay we need to go to-" Chloe immediately pounced. "Jesus.. you're crushing me.."

"Beca! We got our own place!" Chloe rocked Beca in her arms.

"Okay, you can let go now.." She pulled herself away and turned to run into her room. "Where are you going? We need to go to the store." Beca watched as Chloe glanced back at her with a smile playing on her lips. It was a smile that told her to follow. A smile she couldn't resist.

She stepped into the master room to find Chloe flat on the floor in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing?"

Chloe patted the carpet beside her.

"Come here."

Beca walked over and dropped to her knees once she got halfway. She crawled the rest of the way before collapsing beside Chloe redhead. They both took a deep breath as they stared at the ceiling. "..Do you want this room?"

"What? No." Chloe propped herself on her elbow so she could look at her.

"Becs. You found this place for us. You should have it."

"I don't want it. It's yours. You won it fair and square. Plus, I wouldn't know what to do with all this space anyways."

Chloe laid back down and reached for the brunette's hand. She saw Beca smile in the corner of her eye when she intertwined their fingers.

"I promise you can sleep in here whenever you want."

Beca hesitated before speaking up.

"..What if you have someone over?"

"I won't."

"You don't know that." Beca felt Chloe's grip tighten.

"I'm pretty sure, Beca."

"Okay well.. We should really stop by the store to pick up some stuff if we want to move in today." Chloe turned to face her again.

"Should we call the girls for help?"

"I think we can handle it, don't you?" Beca instinctively looked into her eyes and suddenly she was stuck. Chloe was smiling at her with a smile that made her feel all fuzzy inside. It was subtle and soft and hypnotizing.

She smirked back at her.

"Becs, I think we should at least borrow Stacie's truck since I own a beetle."

"Yeah that's probably a good idea."

"Glad you think so too." She leaned in and planted a kiss that landed somewhere between Beca's eye and temple before hopping on her feet. "Hurry up slowpoke, we have a busy day."

"You're killing me.." Chloe was already in the hallway when she said it.

"Let's do this, Beca!"

Chloe was entering the living room when she heard a knock at the door. She quickly strode over and swung the door open wide to find a petite young woman with long, caramel colored curly hair holding a glass pan covered in foil.

"Oh! Jesus." The woman jumped.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry did I scare you?"

"Oh no I'm fine.. Well, yes but I scare easily so you're fine." The woman shifted the pan to her hip so she could hold it with one hand and smiled. She held out her free hand for Chloe who gladly took it into her own. "I'm Kelsey, I live across the hall."

"Oh, that's great! I'm Chloe and that over there.." she turned to point to Beca who was emerging from the hallway. "That is Beca." Beca quickly jogged over and shook Kelsey's hand.

"Yeah um.. Rob, the landlord, told me that you guys were going to be moving in today so I thought I'd make you guys some brownies to welcome you to the building." She offered the pan to Chloe who was beaming at her. Beca instead was the one to take the pan from the girl.

"That's so sweet. I thought they only do that in movies. Thank you so much.. Would you like to come in?" Kelsey waved her off.

"Oh no. Thank you, but I have to be somewhere in a little bit so.. yeah." They nodded at each other. "Well, um like I said, welcome to the building. Rob is real nice, he's a good guy so I think you guys will really like it here."

"We think so too.. thank you so much for the brownies."

"No problem.." She stepped back. "I'll see you guys later then.."

"Oh wait! Before you go.. um we're having a little housewarming party tomorrow night, so it would be great if you could stop by. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other so we might as well be friends right?"

"Oh yeah? That sounds cool.."

"Starts at eight."

"Yeah sure, I can make that."

"Great! We'll see you then.. thanks again for the brownies."

"No problem, I bake a lot so I hope you like them.. I'll see you guys." They two watched as Kelsey retreated back into her own apartment before closing the door. Chloe turned to Beca to find her already halfway done with a brownie.

"She seemed nice.. Is it good?"

"So chewy.. Here." Beca held the half-eaten brownie to Chloe's mouth. The redhead didn't hesitate to take a bite.

She whimpered.

"Right? We need to befriend this girl asap."

"You guys sure you don't want any help?"

"We can do it by ourselves, Stacie!" Beca screamed from across the lot as Chloe traded keys with Stacie. "We are independent women!"

"Okay, muffin!"

"MUFFIN?! Did you just call me muffin?!"

"What are you gonna do about it?!"

"I will.. fight you!"

"Really? You and your little five foot two inch self?!"

"Hell yeah! You saw me take out that guy at the bar!"

"He had balls. I don't. You can kick this all you want but the only reaction you're gonna get from me is arousal. It can take a pounding!"

".. Don't say shit like that!"

"Who knows? It might just swallow your whole foot! I think it's tiny enough!"

"-STOP!" Beca covered her ears.

"WHOMP! Just like that, muffin! Whomp! It's hungry, Beca! The hunter is on the hunt!"

"Okay! Jesus Christ!" Chloe was busy laughing at their interaction when Stacie leaned in close and spoke softly.

"Any progress?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhm. I see you, Chloe. I better be the first person you tell when it happens."

"I'll let you know once you tell me what's up with you."

"Fine." The taller girl crossed her arms and held her chin higher than before. "I could always get Lilly to set up cameras in your new place."

"Don't even joke about that."

"Who said I was joking?" They peered into each other's eyes before smiling.

"Thanks for letting us use your truck, we should be back later today."

"No problem. Just take care of my baby okay?"

"Got it. You better take care of my baby too. Also, housewarming tomorrow night at eight. Be there. And tell the rest of the girls will you?" Chloe turned back around to find Beca missing. "..Where did she go?"

"Not my problem, Cap." Stacie left and suddenly she was alone.

"Becs?!"

She walked over to the truck and was disappointed when there was no trace of the tiny alt-girl.

"What in the.."

Beca's head popped up from the truck bed and Chloe shrieked.

"-Hi."

"Jesus Christ!"

"Lovely day isn't it?" Chloe shook her head before looking down at the keys in her hand, noticing the panic button. "It's so sunny."

"It is." She clicked the button and Beca fell over in a panic as the alarm blared.

"-Fuck!"

"Get in the car before I drive off with you back there."

"You are so mean to me."

"Are we done?"

"It's missing something.." The two stood in the middle of the empty living room with their arms crossed as their eyes scanned the room intently.

"Yeah, like a couch?"

"No.. well yeah.. but something else too.." Chloe turned around to look at the fireplace and it clicked. She smiled. "Oh! Well duh."

"What?" Beca was left alone in confusion when Chloe disappeared into the hallway. She let herself fall onto the carpet as she heard Chloe's footsteps returning.

The redhead hopped over her and stopped in front of the fireplace.

"What are you doing?" Chloe stepped back and Beca could see the snow globe sitting on the ledge next to various photos of the bellas at graduation, and at the world's and a few from their wins at the ICCA's, all sitting below Chloe's dagger from Rome that was mounted on the wall.

"Perfect." Chloe smiled at her as she took a seat next to her on the floor.

"Now are we done?"

"Yep."

"Then.. how 'bout some red, Red?" They smiled at each other as Beca nudged her with her shoulder.

"One glass."

"One glass."

She stared into the empty fireplace as Beca dashed into the kitchen. Slowly the redhead began to slump until she was lying flat on the floor.

It was weird. The ceiling was nothing but a white rectangle but it was hypnotizing. She found herself completely lost in the absence of color.

She stared, and blinked once-twice before Beca came into view with two glasses and a bottle of wine.

"You okay down there?"

"Yeah." She sat up as Beca settled herself beside her. The brunette had to bite the cork off after a few failed attempts at opening it with her hands like a normal person.

Chloe's eyes followed the crimson liquid as it flowed into her glass, and then again as it flowed into Beca's. They met each other's gazes as they lifted their glasses.

"Um, I don't know what to say."

Beca smiled when Chloe cleared her throat and leaned back on an arm.

"To being adults, it's going to be a crazy rollercoaster, but we've had our whole lives to prepare for it. So, let's just hope we're doing it right." They clinked glasses and watched each other as they took their sips.

Chloe pointed to the floor and twirled her finger and Beca obediently turned away from the redhead as she spoke.

"I'm glad you're my roomie, Chlo." Beca felt the redhead's back come to rest against hers as she stared into the kitchen.

"I'm glad you're my roomie too." Chloe tilted her head back and let it rest on Beca's shoulder as she looked up at the ceiling again.

"I don't think I'd rather have anyone else as a roomie." She heard the brunette sigh before feeling her head come to rest on her own shoulder. "Not even Beyoncé."

"Not even Beyoncé?"

"Mhm."

"..Me neither." They stared at the ceiling together, back to back, heads resting on each other's shoulder. And both girls felt content, like they could stay there and stare at the blank ceiling forever and still be happy because they were together. And nothing else mattered, just the fact that they were there in that moment with each other.

They sipped their wine in a comfortable silence and stayed there long after their glasses were empty.

"I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"We haven't eaten since morning, excuse me for needing food to function."

"Lets make something. I'm not leaving this apartment."

Chloe smiled after having almost fallen over when Beca ran into the kitchen. Beca stuck her head into the fridge and hollered back.

"Okay! We have everything we need for a delicious breakfast!"

".. At ten at night?"

"Why not?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking fresh pancakes, sausages, eggs, syrup and whipped cream. The basics." They smiled at each other as Chloe floated into the kitchen.

"What can I do to help?" She watched as Beca gathered the ingredients onto the counter.

"You think you can handle sausages and eggs? Life hack: you don't even need to use a different pan, make sausages first and then make the eggs in the same pan and you'll get all that sausage flavor in your eggs too."

"Beca.. you are a genius."

"I know. But only with breakfast foods, it's so weird."

Chloe was already cooking the breakfast sausages when Beca began to mix the pancake batter.

"What do you want yours to look like?"

"Hm?"

"Your pancake." Chloe watched as Beca shook the bottle aggressively.

"I don't think you need to shake it that hard, Becs."

"Excuse me but who is the breakfast foods genius here?" Beca brought her ear closer to Chloe's face mockingly. "Oh what was that? Who? Me. It's me, Chlo. That's who." Chloe lightly pushed her away as she chuckled.

"Okay you might be the genius and all, and I'm not trying to steal the spotlight or anything but I just had the greatest idea."

"Shoot."

"What if.. I cut up these sausages into little tiny bits and then crack the egg over them and scramble it all together?" A wide grin grew on Chloe's face when Beca gasped loudly.

".. They grow up so fast. Your pancake is going to be a trophy, because you deserve a prize for that. You're a superstar!"

"I can't wait to see it."

"Okay you ready for this?" Chloe watched as Beca poured the batter onto the pan slowly. "See, that's the cup part.. and now the handles.. there!"

"It looks like a deformed uterus."

"That's what I was going for. It's a trophy shaped like.. like a-"

"Deformed uterus."

"A deformed uterus, yes. Do-.. do you have a problem with that?"

"My pancake looking like a deformed uterus? No not at all, in fact I think it's lovely."

"Good, because I tried really hard making that for you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, you were there. You saw how it all went down. How I poured my blood, sweat and batter into that.." Chloe rolled her eyes as Beca grinned widely. "Did- did you see what I did-"

"Yes, I saw what you did there. It wasn't that great. "

"Hater." Beca quickly made her pancake in the shape of a middle finger as the redhead began to scoop up the sausage and eggs into their plates.

They high fived each other before sitting down and setting their plates in front of them. Chloe was eager to dig in but she was curious when Beca stopped to look at her.

"..What?"

"Look at your plate." She glanced down at her food before looking back at Beca again.

"What?"

"You got a uterus, eggs and a sausage. That's all you need to make a baby."

"Oh my God."

It took only eight minutes for them to finish their meals.

"That was way too heavy, and I hate myself for letting you convince me that that was a good idea."

Beca burped before patting her stomach.

"I feel absolutely disgusting right now." Chloe gathered the plates and brought them to the sink to wash them as Beca got up to leave. "Alright, I'm gonna go wash up and go to bed." She couldn't help feeling a little hurt at the fact that Beca didn't ask her to come along.

"Goodnight, Becs." She called out as the brunette entered the hallway.

Beca turned back around to find that Chloe didn't in fact follow her. But she couldn't ask her to follow now, it was too late, she just said goodnight. And maybe she didn't want to follow.

"Oh, you're washing those?"

"Yeah, I have to.. Do you want bugs?"

"Do you want help?"

"I got it."

"Alright.. Night."

Beca couldn't sleep. She was excited.

Excited about the new place.

Excited about going back to work.

Excited about being alone with Chloe.

All of it.

So she laid there in the dark for hours, waiting for the fatigue to finally hit. But when she heard her door knob begin to turn, she sat up. A small smirk grew on her face as Chloe stuck her head in the room.

"Knock knock."

"Hi."

"Hi.. That room is really big." She watched as Chloe slowly swung the door open. "It's kind of lonely."

"I can't sleep either." Chloe stayed where she was, she busied herself by nervously picking at the door frame. ".. What are you waiting for?" She looked back at Beca who had her elbows resting on her knees.

".. An invitation." It was barely a whisper but Beca heard every single vowel and consonant as clear as day. She heard the playfulness in her whisper but also the underlying hint of seriousness in the unease of her words that suggested more.

The redhead chuckled nervously. And it kind of broke Beca's heart.

Beca stopped breathing. Chloe can't just say things like that. She always gets away with saying things like that. But she was vulnerable, and Beca was done with jokes for the day.

"..You don't need one." Chloe slowly stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "Like.. ever." Beca held out her hand for Chloe as she got closer. Their hands easily slipped into each other's as she climbed into Beca's bed. Beca pulled her all the way to the wall before crawling around her to settle on the edge of the bed. The redhead stared at the wall as she felt Beca wrap her in her arms.

"Are you sure about that?"

"About what?"

"..About me not needing an invitation."

"Yeah." She let herself sink deeper into Beca's arms.

"I'm holding you to that."

"Fine with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, I usually don't like introducing new characters but I felt like I really needed a neighbor so yeah. Also, I'm assuming that since you made it this far, then you don't think my fic is pure shit so I'd like to thank you for making it this far and sticking with me. I love you guys. I'm pretty excited for the next couple chapters because this is when shit gets real (IMO, It's probably nothing, I'm probably just hyping it up).


	18. "Do You Want Me To?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so thirsty for angst, I just wanted to write fluff honestly, but I'll see what I can do. Before you read this, I must say that I have made a horrible mistake by setting the bar a little higher than usual in anticipation for this chapter. So, please, lower your standards lol I don't like being a disappointment, I've had enough of that in high school (Can I get an amen?). By the way guys, I know some writers can be a bit sensitive when it comes to critique, and I can be too sometimes but I'd much rather have feedback so I could clear things up for you guys than have confused readers. So guys, constructive criticism: 100% WELCOMED. This fic is for you guys after all. Also, 200+ Kudos?! WHATT?? I love you guys. Please enjoy.

Beca woke up with Chloe still in her arms. She carefully untangled herself from the other girl, praying she wouldn't wake her in the process. When she finally got herself separated from Chloe, she stood from the bed and looked over the sleeping girl.

She watched how her chest would rise with each breath and how every few seconds, her finger would subtly twitch. Everything seemed so perfect. It was a kodak moment. She stood there for a while taking in as much as she could, the sight was mesmerizing. The sliver of morning's light that peeked through her dark makeshift curtains that kissed the bit of Chloe's exposed hips and literally made her skin glow like some kind of sun goddess. The ruffled navy blue comforter that Chloe laid on top of that made her messy red hair that much more vibrant. The echo of her own presence in the indent that was beside Chloe's sleeping body. It was..  **perfect**.

She wanted this. All the time.

She grabbed her phone off of the nightstand and snapped a picture.

A stupid smile crept on her face as she felt her chest swell with excitement before she reluctantly left the room to get ready for work.

She made sure to make extra chocolate chip waffles for Chloe before she left.. of course she did.

* * *

"Reggie, you're back. Listen to me. Are you listening to me?" Her boss towered over her as he spoke.

"Uh. Yes, sir."

"Look at me, Reggie. Do you see this thing right here in my hand?" Beca looked at the flash drive in her boss's hand. "Do you know what this is, Reggie?"

"Yes, that's a flash drive sir."

"It is. You're completely right. Can you believe that there are sounds inside of this little plastic thing? Can you believe that?! It's crazy isn't it?"

"Yes it's.. it's crazy."

"It is. But listen to me. I want you to take this. I want you to take this because there is a demo inside of that thing. Just one song. And I want you to come back to me before this weekend with something completely new. Do you hear what I'm saying?" He grabbed her hand to set the thumb drive in her palm before speaking again. "Do not mess this up. I'm giving you a chance here. I want you to take this, pour your heart and soul into making it into your greatest creation and bring it back to me this friday. Don't even bother coming in until it's done. Got it?"

"Got it, sir."

He straightened up and stared her down.

".. Well, what are you waiting for? Leave."

"L-Leave?"

"Yeah. Get that done."

"You want me to.. go home? I just got here." She glanced around unsurely.

"Yeah. Shoo. Get the hell out." Beca pointed to the door to make sure he wasn't kidding. "Bye!" She slowly walked out the door as he kept yelling at her. "Later, Reg! Don't you dare come back until that thing is done! Show me what you got kid!"

She stared in disbelief at the drive in her hand as she exited the building.

_This friday. I can do this.. Right?_

She looked up from her hand to the busy street ahead. This was her chance. Her first real project. This could open so many doors. She just had to do this one thing, then she'll be  **in**.

She walked home not once losing the smile that was playing on her lips.

"Fuck walking." She mumbled through ragged breaths as she quickly unlocked the door to their apartment. It was quiet as she locked the door again. She set her keys on the kitchen counter before noticing the plate of waffles she had left for Chloe were still untouched.

_Is Chloe still asleep?_

After slipping off her shoes and kicking them towards the door, she slipped her messenger bag off her shoulder and swung it onto the counter.

She made her way back to her room quietly sliding her feet afraid any footsteps would make too much noise. Slowly, she opened the door and peeked through the crack. She was happy to find the redhead still asleep, though she had shifted positions and was now nuzzling her face in Beca's pillow. Beca quietly squeezed into the room and shut the door behind her before approaching the bed. Taking her pillow from Chloe proved to be a bit difficult without waking her so she settled into the bed without it.

"..Becs?" Chloe shifted as she settled herself beside the redhead.

"Shh.. Go back to sleep." She whispered as Chloe pushed her pillow to her.

Beca was pulling it under her head when she felt Chloe's hand tug on the front of her waistband. Her face went red and she forgot how to breath. She looked down to find Chloe's hand still there, fingers tucked inside the front of her pants. The sight sent shocks up her spine. She looked back up to Chloe who had her eyes closed.

_What the fuck?_

Beca didn't dare to move. She panicked a little when she saw Chloe's brow began to knit together.

".. Cuddle me, Becs."

She glanced down at Chloe's hand again before hesitantly inching closer to drape an arm over her waist. She inhaled a sharp breath when Chloe's hand tugged harder to pull her even closer until their hips were flat against each other's. Her throat went tight as Chloe finally released the waistband from her grip and laid her arm on her waist.

She waited for Chloe's breath to even out again before inching her head closer. And suddenly she could taste her scent. And it was intoxicating. Her eyes darted back and forth between Chloe's closed eyelids, making sure she was fully asleep before stretching her neck out and kissing Chloe's forehead softly. The feeling of Chloe's scar under her lips gave her goosebumps. She felt the hairs on her arms begin to stand as she finally remembered to breathe. She retreated back to her own pillow and waited for a reaction. Nothing. She swallowed the lump in her throat before closing her eyes and falling asleep again.

Chloe's eyes shot open after about ten minutes of waiting. Beca had never once kissed her before. Sure she's bitten her more times than she could count, even licked her a few times, but not once has she ever  **kissed**  her, well on her face anyways, especially when she was 'asleep'. She still felt the ghost of Beca's lips on her forehead. It made her head woozy, like the kiss seeped through her skin and into her brain and polluted it with feelings of warmth and comfort. She watched the girl sleep, listening to her breathe softly until she couldn't anymore, until she was too afraid of the chance that she might convince herself to do something stupid.

Slowly, inch by inch, she wriggled herself away and out of Beca's arms.

She glanced around before realizing she had to crawl over Beca to get out of bed.

 _Fantastic_.

She pushed herself onto her hands and knees before reaching over the brunette and placing her hand beside Beca's head. Slowly, she stretched her leg over the brunette's waist and tiptoed when her foot reached the floor. She couldn't help lingering a bit, just hovering over Beca. It could be so easy to just wake her up with a kiss, to just cradle her face in her hands and press her lips on Beca's.

But that would be problematic.

She softly pushed herself off the bed before heading to the shower.

* * *

"What time is it? Why aren't they here yet? Everyone's going to show up and we won't have a couch for them to sit on!" Chloe slumped in the kitchen stool and blew stray strands of hair out of her face.

"They'll be here, Red." Beca reassured as she played with the ends of her hair.

"Where are those brownies that Kelsey made? Hide them. I don't want anyone eating them. Those are ours."

"Good thinking.. I'll hide them in my dresser."

"Please not your underwear drawer."

Beca pulled the glass pan out of the fridge before turning to Chloe.

"But that's the safest drawer, Beale!"

"Beca.."

"They're clean! And this is in a pan, covered in foil. I mean, I wasn't going to anyways but now that you're so against the idea, I just might put them in there out of spite.." Chloe pursed her lips in an attempt to fight the smile.

"I don't even care anymore."

"You shouldn't. You care too much sometimes. You seriously need to relax a little." Chloe's eyes dropped to her hands when Beca said it. "..Chloe." She looked back up into Beca's dark eyes. "..Seriously. You get kind of mean sometimes. I'm kind of worried." Her face dropped.

"I'm fine. Don't be worried."

"You can't tell me that, Chlo! 'Cause.. well! Ironically enough, I care too much too.. And I immediately regret saying that because it was really corny but fuck it, it's too late now!" They chuckled as they heard a knock at the door. "..I'll go hide these."

Chloe slid off the kitchen stool as Beca slipped past her. Beca's vanilla scent clouded her nose and she happily inhaled as much as she could. She shuffled over to the door and opened it to find a large, burly man with a clipboard.

"Delivery?" His voice was terrifyingly deep.

"Yes."

The man handed her the clipboard and a pen.

"Just sign there. I'll be right back with the couch and the coffee table."

"Okay.. Thank you." She sat back on the stool and signed the form as Beca returned.

"Is that the couch?"

"Yeah."

"See? You don't need to worry too much." She flinched as Beca poked her side playfully.

"Don't poke me."

"Wow, deja vu. Remember when I told you that and you slapped the shit out of me?!" Beca leaned in close for emphasis. "You didn't even hold back, not even a little."

Chloe giggled.

"I told you I was sorry." The redhead bit her lip as she grinned at Beca.

"Yeah okay, murderers say they're sorry too but they still killed someone." Beca sat down beside the redhead.

"But.. I kissed it better."

Beca blushed, remembering the feeling of Chloe's lip gloss that had lingered on her cheek that day.

"-Hey guys, why is your door wide open?" The two glanced at the doorway to find the bellas standing in their apartment. They each held a large paper bag.

"Um.. Why are you guys here, it's only six." Chloe rested her chin in her palm as she looked over at them.

"We didn't have anything else to do, and you guys said party so we brought beer." Stacie stepped forward to set her bags on the counter. "And food, and candy."

"Are you guys planning on spending the night or something? That's a lot of beer." Beca was just about ready to give them a long lecture on safe driving when Amy spoke up.

"Lilly is our designated driver for the night."

Lilly smiled at the two bella leaders and the two grimaced at the sight.

".. Are you sure about that guys?" Chloe hesitantly asked.

"Yes!" Stacie slapped her hand on the counter and got in Chloe's face. "Now give us the goddamn tour already."

* * *

"Beca! Work those brows!" Chloe was at the edge of her seat as she yelled at Beca.

"I'm trying!" Beca wiggled her brows as she tried to work the oreo that balanced on her eye into her mouth.

"No helping, Gringa!" Amy growled at Chloe.

The redhead jabbed a finger towards Amy and hissed.

"Shut it, Amy! How 'bout you just focus on getting that oreo in your mouth!"

"Um excuse me but what exactly is it that you think I'm doing right now?!" Amy scoffed.

"You guy's are kind of crazy.. I love it." Chloe turned to Kelsey who was sitting beside her on the couch.

"Yeah.. we can be a little much."

"-Fuck!" Chloe's eyes darted back to Amy who had her face buried in her hands. A certain oreo was missing from the girl's forehead. "A crumb went in my fucking eye!"

Chloe jumped up from her seat.

"Beca, now's your chance!"

"I got this, Red. Get a victory drink ready for me please?" Beca calmly replied.

"Anyone else?" Chloe cringed when everyone, except Lilly, yelled 'Yes' at her. "Stace? Help?" Stacie stood from her knelt position at the other side of the coffee table to follow Chloe into the kitchen.

"You guys do it in the kitchen yet?" Stacie whispered in Chloe's ear before leaning onto the counter and running a flat palm over the surface. Chloe watched as Stacie wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

"We eat on this counter, Stace."

"Hell fucking yeah you eat on this counter." Stacie shot her a wink.

"That's-" Chloe blushed furiously as she struggled to stammer out a reply. "Y-..Oh my God! I don't- no. No."

"I bet you have some real good meals on this counter." Chloe frowned as Stacie bit her lip jokingly.

"Okay. No more drinks for you. You are cut off." She turned and opened the fridge to pull out two six packs and handed one to Stacie. "You need to calm down." Before Stacie could reply, they heard a knock at the door. Chloe glanced back to the girls before turning to Stacie. "Everyone we invited is here.. oh crap, do you think we're being too loud? It's only our second day here!"

Stacie shrugged.

She walked over to the door and tiptoed to look through the peephole.

 _Fuck_.

She turned back to Stacie to give her the beers.

"Who is it?"

"It's Jesse." Chloe whispered.

"Oh cool."

Another knock.

"No. Not cool, Stace." Chloe shook her head. "They broke up when we were still in Rome."

"What?! Oh my God, is that why she was all sad on the last day? Why didn't she tell me? I'm hurt.."

"No, she was fine. Until.. well yeah I guess it was his fault, she was- Oh my god! We don't have time for this right now, Stace!" Chloe shook her head. "I'll make him go away. It's fine."

"Are you sure you don't want help?"

"Just.. go act like nothing's wrong. I can handle this."

Stacie nodded at her before returning to the living room.

Another knock.

Chloe quickly opened the door and slipped out before closing it behind her.

"Chloe-"

"You shouldn't be here, Jesse. How did you even find this place?"

She looked up at him and she couldn't help thinking that he looked tired, like he hasn't had nearly enough sleep lately. His hair was messy and she could tell he hasn't shaved today. But his clothes were clean, a little ruffled, but clean. Like he just tossed on his cleanest clothes in a sad attempt to pull himself together before coming here.

It was sad.

"I need to talk to her."

"You need to leave." Chloe whispered as she pointed down the hall.

"Please, just let me talk to her."

"Jesse!" She hissed at him and he recoiled. "I'm sorry, but you need to leave right now."

Jesse glanced around in disbelief. He scoffed before looking her dead in the eyes.

"This is none of your business, Chloe!"

"No! It shouldn't be. But it is!.. Do you even know how much you hurt her?!" She jabbed a finger in his chest.

"Do you know how much she hurt me?!" She held her ground as he hissed back at her. "..How long?"

"..What?"

"How-" He stopped when he heard hollering from inside the apartment. Chloe stepped closer to him and glared at him.

"Jesse.. She is tired. You need to leave before you start any trouble. She's not ready to talk to you yet."

"You would know, huh?"

"What are you even talking about right now?"

"Look, I'm not here to cause any trouble okay? I just want to talk to her."

"- **Where'd, Chlo' go?** " The both froze when they heard Beca's muffled voice through the door.

" **Um.. bathroom?** " Chloe grimaced at Stacie's lack of commitment to the cause.

" **Who was at the door?** "

_Beca Mitchell, always asking questions._

" **I don't know.** "

Chloe noted to herself to remember to never trust a drunk Stacie to be able to lie for her.

" **Stace.. who was at the door?** "

Silence.

 _Fuck_.

The color left Chloe's face as she heard Beca's tiny footsteps approach the door. They sounded angry.. cute, but angry. Her heart stopped when she felt the door swing open behind her.

"Beca.." Jesse stepped forward as he pleaded. Chloe glared up at him, but she couldn't hold it for long, especially when she noticed the tears in his eyes. "Becs.. please we need to talk."

"Come on, Chlo." Beca said softly.

Chloe kept her eyes on Jesse as she felt Beca's hand slip into hers and pull her back into the room. She watched as Beca swung the door shut in Jesse's face. She finally let out a breath after hearing Jesse yell a very angry "Fuck!" through the door.

She turned to Beca who was nervously scratching her head.

"Beca.."

"I'm fine." She watched as the brunette turned around to face the rest of the girls who were all watching intently. "You guys can spend the night if you want. I'm.. going to bed." All eyes followed Beca as she disappeared into the hallway. Chloe didn't notice when everyone stared at her after Beca had left.

"Um.. me too." Chloe stammered.

She quickly followed the smaller girl into her room. She slipped into Beca's room, not bothering to knock and was surprised to find Beca shirtless.

Her breath hitched and she choked.

The moonlight complimented Beca's collarbone most of all. Chloe stared. She just wanted a touch.. or a kiss.. maybe a bite.

"Um.." She shut her eyes and shook her head, pushing the thought out of her mind. "Beca." She watched as the brunette slipped an over-sized t-shirt onto herself before pulling off her bra.

"I'm going to bed."

"Beca."

"I'm fine, Chlo."

_Of course._

Chloe was sick of Beca telling her she was fine. She was fed up with Beca never wanting to talk to her. She hated it to be completely honest.

"When are you going to realize that you can talk to me?! It's a stupid cycle! Something happens and then you close off! And I have to convince you every single time to open up!" She stepped closer to Beca who kept her eyes on her feet. "I shouldn't have to convince you anymore, Beca. I'm here! You can talk to me!"

Beca clenched her fists.

"I know that!"

"Do you?! 'Cause it doesn't seem like it." Chloe countered.

".. Yes!" They stopped when they heard the front door open and close. They were alone now. "..I do."

"Then what-"

"There's nothing to talk about!"

"Yes, there is!"

"No, there isn't! Chloe, I know you're here for me. I know! And I'm grateful, I really am. I'm just.. I don't want to talk about him right now. Okay? I'm not shutting you out." Beca stepped past her and sat on her bed. Chloe followed. "I'm just not in the mood! I'm tired and I just.. I just need some sleep right now."

"You need to talk to him, Becs. Did you see him? He was a mess.."

"I know! But I'm not ready.." Beca rubbed her face and groaned through her hand.

"Okay.. I'm sorry I lost my chill."

"Don't be. I know you care."

"I get.. really scared when I think you're going to close off on me. I really don't want you to shut me out."

Beca rolled her eyes.

"I'm not gonna shut you out, Chlo. I'm pretty sure we're done with all that."

Chloe let out a relieved breath before holding out her pinky.

"..Promise?"

Beca looked down at her hand before nudging her with her shoulder.

"Really? That's kind of lame, Chlo."

"Yes, really. Promise me, Beca. I need you to." The brunette stared into her concerned eyes before complying and wrapping her own finger around Chloe's.

"Promise." Beca said softly.

They smiled at each other.

"Okay.." Chloe pointed to the doorway and stood. "I'm gonna go to bed then."

Beca is no wimp. Beca Mitchell is a certified bad ass if that night at the bar in Rome was any indication. But everything that had to do with Chloe Beale scared the shit out of her,but in the best possible way. She was scared of how Chloe could make her feel like she was melting every time their eyes met. She was frightened of how whenever Chloe was around, she'd turn into a whole different person; someone who's gentle and sincere.. a wimp that was full of courage. A brave coward. It was contradicting, but it was true. Beating up assholes in bars but shying away when Chloe would look at her for more than five seconds at a time, defending her friends from anyone who might give them a look that was anything less than envy but having her heart feel like it was seizing every time Chloe was within two feet of her. It was frustrating. So maybe it was time for her to not be a wimp around Chloe, maybe it was time for her to make a move, to take a step.

"-Wait.. You don't wanna- um." She swallowed, trying to find the right words.

"Hm?" Chloe's eyebrows shot up expectantly.

This was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

"Um.. sl- You don't wanna.. sleepover?"

Okay so maybe she was still a wimp.

_Baby steps, Mitchell. Baby steps._

"Do you want me to?"

 _Fuck_.

"W-"

"Do you need me to? Like for comfort reasons because of Jesse?"

"No, I told you I'm fine. I mean, if you don't want to that's fine.. I was just offering. If you wanted."

Beca anxiously watched Chloe mull over the idea. They watched each other, waiting for a change in expression.

".. Do you want me to?" Chloe's voice echoed through Beca's head.

She glanced around the room anxiously.

"Wel- I mean, if you want to?"

"But..  **do you want me to**?"

Beca picked at her elbow nervously.

"Um.. I guess? Yeah.."

Chloe smiled widely causing Beca to instinctively follow suit.

"Okay."

 

 

 


	19. "I'm Happy With A Sick Beat"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing but fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know it's been a while since I last uploaded but here is Ch.19. It's nothing but fluff and it's a bit longer than the usual so please enjoy. Sorry for the wait.

"Chloe!"

"What?!" Chloe's voice echoed from the redhead's bedroom.

"Come hither! I request your presence!" Beca threw her keys onto the counter as she kicked off her shoes.

"What?" Chloe peeked her head out from the hallway.

"Come here look.. I got you a present." Beca pulled out an envelope from her back pocket.

"What?" The redhead was by her side on the blink of an eye, bouncing excitedly in her shorts and button up blouse.

"But wait, are you doing anything important?"

"No. I just sent out like six applications, and I just skyped with Aubrey. I'll have to drive out there in a couple days. I think I'm going to spend the night with her. It'll make things a lot easier." Beca's shoulders slumped a little but it was more than enough for Chloe to notice. "I won't be gone for long, Becs." She teased, nudging the brunette's shoulder.

"What?.. I don-" Beca shook her head. "Okay so you're done with everything you need to do today right?"

"Yep!" Chloe smiled proudly.

"Cool. Here." She handed Chloe the envelope and waited anxiously. Chloe kept her eyes on Beca as she pulled out the slip. "Well, you're going to have to read it, Red."

"Right.." Her eyes lingered on Beca as she set the envelope on the counter. She smiled at her before looking down to read the slip. "One-day pass for one.. includes one full-body massage, mani-pedi package, access to our steam room, mud bath- You got me a free spa day?!"

"I thought you could use one. Plus I kind of need you out of the place while I work on that demo."

"Am I a distraction?"

"What?"

"You got me a spa day."

"Yeah.. we established that a while ago."

"Wait. How much did this cost?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Beca.."

"It was nothing. Trust me."

Chloe stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks, beb."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay bye."

Chloe pulled back.

"..Right now?"

"Yeah. Treat yo' self.. Plus it was on sale because it expires tomorrow."

Chloe grinned at her before hugging her again.

"Okay I'll be back soon-"

"Nope! That is a pass for a spa  **day**. Not a spa-couple of hours. You go, and you relax until they kick you out. Got it?"

"Got it." Chloe ran back into her room to grab her things while Beca pulled off her sweater and slumped into one of the stools. Her breath hitched when she felt Chloe's arms wrap around her waist from behind. "Thanks again, Becs."

"Get the hell out." She watched as Chloe stepped backwards towards the door.

"I am."

"..You know, you should really watch where you're walking."

Chloe smiled.

".. But I want to look at you, Becs." She opened the door and lingered there as Beca rolled her eyes.

"Okay, byee!" Beca let her head fall to the counter as Chloe closed the door. She stared at the artificial granite countertop until she could work up the energy make her way to her room. She whistled as she gathered her equipment in the living room and settled herself on the couch.

"One.. fucking song. I got this.." She slipped the flash drive into her laptop and listened closely to the beginning chords. "Okay. I can work with this.. yeah."

Hours passed. And she had nothing.

She ripped her headphones off and paced the living room.

"Fuck this!" She stopped to do jumping jacks, and after doing twenty, she laid on the floor and stared at the ceiling. "One fucking song!" She held her arms in the air as if she was reaching for the ceiling and glared at them. "Come on, you two. Get your shit together." Her hands fell to the floor as she closed her eyes. "Get your shit together.."

It's not like she's never been in this situation before. This had happened plenty of times with the ICCA's, at World's, not to mention last time when her boss told her to bring him something new. She's been put on the spot time and time again and she and Chloe have always found ways to make it work, somehow it would always be okay. But there was too much riding on this one song, and the pressure was getting to her. She knew this was going to happen, she saw it a mile away, but denial was a close friend right about now.

She laid there for a while, listening to the silence, it was so calming she almost fell asleep. Almost.

The snow globe that sat on the fireplace tugged on her eyeballs and heartstrings. She stared at it, wondering how Chloe managed to find something so perfect. And she contemplated what thoughts might have been floating around in that beautiful head when Chloe decided to buy it. Chloe never truly answered her when she asked her why she had bought it, her words were dripping with hesitation that day. Or maybe Beca was just over thinking it again, like always. Because Beca knows that love comes easily with Chloe, there's no such thing as hate with that woman. Chloe loves everyone. She's the definition of comfort and care for  **everyone**. She's generous with her light and brightens eyes as much as lives. So Beca.. Beca is not special. Beca is just one of the lucky few to be able to witness Chloe's warmth. But she is the luckiest, that she knows, because some days she gets to wake up next to Chloe. And some days, Chloe gives her a kiss on the cheek or forehead. And some days Chloe would look at her a little different than usual, those lucky days, she would have a specific glimmer in her eyes that absolutely ruins Beca every single time. A hypnotizing shine that Beca finds herself lost in far too many times. So maybe Beca is special, and that 'maybe' is more than enough for her.. for now.

She hopped to her feet and snatched it off the shelf. She planted herself in front of her laptop again and set the globe beside it before pulling out her phone and going into her gallery to pull up the picture she took of Chloe the day before. Instantly her chest began to swell with excitement.

"I'm so fucked."

She shook her head as she tossed her phone aside and slid her headphones back on.

* * *

"Did you get anything done?"

"I have the beginning of something that I think could turn out really.. great.." Beca smiled up at Chloe from the couch.

"Yeah?" Beca nodded happily. "That's great, Becs. I'm proud of you."

"How was the spa?" Beca scooted as Chloe dropped herself beside her.

The room was dim and the only source of light was from the kitchen and Beca's laptop. They didn't know what time it was but they were both ready for bed right about now.

"They massaged my eyelids, Beca.. My eyelids!"

"Are you feeling 'zen'? As the cool kids say?"

"Absolutely nobody says that but yeah, I'm in a good place right now."

"Good, because I need you to listen to the song. It's far from done but I need another person's opinion. And honestly, yours is the one I trust the most."

"That's really sweet of you to say, Becs. But honestly, you could have me listen to a dying cat and I'd still like it."

"That's okay. Positive feedback is always welcomed." Beca slipped her headphones off her neck and turned to Chloe who was smiling at her lazily. She quirked a brow. "..Are you high?"

"No.. yes.. that spa was aca-mazing."

"I'm glad you liked it so much." Beca held out the headphones for Chloe to take but the redhead didn't move. "Are you gonna.. put them on?" Chloe slowly blinked at her, still holding that stupid smile on her face. Beca furrowed her eyebrows when Chloe laid her head on the backrest.

"Put them on me please. I don't want to move anymore."

Beca sighed before adjusting herself onto her knees for leverage.

"Yeah sure I'll put them on for you, right after I strangle you to death." She growled at the redhead through her clenched jaw. She set the headset on Chloe's ears before turning around and pressing play.

"Beca.." She turned back around to find the headphones had slipped off and were now barely hanging onto Chloe's nose. She paused the track and adjusted it back onto the other girl's head.

Again, it slowly slipped off and started to slide down Chloe's lazy face.

"It's your hair." Beca grumbled.

"Do something about it."

Beca rolled her eyes before leaning closer and softly pushing Chloe's hair behind her ears. She was so focused that she didn't notice Chloe staring at her lips with half-hooded eyes, her lips that she was chewing on in frustration and nothing else.

Chloe had to refrain herself from reaching out and touching them. But it was hard. So fucking hard. Especially since Beca was hovering over her. Her face barely inches away from her own. And she's pushing her hair out of her face so gently with her soft hands. And she could smell her and taste her scent through her parted lips. And it was all so damn alluring. It made her uneasy. So she breathed her in, figuratively and literally taking in her essence. And she slowly exhaled, hoping-praying on the off chance that Beca would do the same and breathe her in too.

She bit her bottom lip in a pathetic attempt to hide her smile when Beca took a deep breath and sighed.

After finally getting all of the beautiful, red hair out of the way, Beca settled the headphones on Chloe's head again.

"That's not gonna slip off?"

"Nope. It's nice and snug. Thank you."

Beca nodded and turned back around to restart the track.

"It takes a while to start."

She watched as Chloe slowly closed her eyes before turning to the computer to watch the slider slowly move, pixel by pixel. She listened to the music faintly bleeding out from the headphones.

**What are you afraid of, I know that you are. Keep in in your sights now, don't let it go far. What are you afraid of, making it better? Keep it by your side now, whatever the weather. Keep it together. Keep it together.**

She turned back to the redhead when she felt her hand snake over hers.

 **What did you do? Wonder where your heart came from, what have you done my only friend keep on.**   **What have you done, My only friend keep on. Wander or leave, turn into winter lights. Keeping your strength when it gets dark at night.**

And she's watching her. Watching how Chloe's eyes subtly widened. How her eyes are now slightly dilated. How she's lightly biting her lips. How she's barely breathing. And how her eyes are stuck on hers.

 **What you're feeling**  
It's what I'm feeling too  
What you're made of  
It's what I'm made of too

**What are you afraid of?**

She turned away again, afraid of her tendency to give into impulses and temptations and busied herself by bouncing her leg nervously.

She heard Chloe take a deep breath.

She was sweating. It was really hot all of a sudden. Her jaw was locked tight, and she was too afraid to move anymore. It was the longest three minutes of her life.

Chloe sat up when it ended.

"Becs.."

_The song. Talk about the song._

"It's not done yet, it's far from being done but I think I have a good start on it, right?"

Chloe seemed to hesitate before speaking.

"Yeah, Becs, that has a lot of potential. There's a lot of buildup. If that's not done yet, I can't even imagine how it'll turn out once it is."

"Yeah?"

"..You know, you have this horrible habit of always selling yourself short." Beca stared into Chloe's eyes again as she felt the redhead's thumb stroke her wrist.

_Don't fucking kiss her._

".. Thanks, Chlo." She reached over to shut her laptop. "You wanna go to bed?" Beca smiled when Chloe nodded slowly. "Come on. Slumber Party, bitch!" She yelled in a thick valley girl accent.

"Let's do it, slut."

"Your bed. I want to know what it's like to sleep in the master."

Chloe giggled.

"Me too."

"Are you sure they didn't drug you?" Beca pulled on Chloe's hand as she stood.

"I mean, there could have been something I absorbed through my pores, you never know." Chloe spun Beca around as she stood, and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's neck.

"I swear, if you become an addict, I'm kicking you out. I don't have time for that shit. Do you hear me, Chlo? I'm not having any of that." Beca leaned forward and lifted Chloe onto her back before beginning her trek to Chloe's bedroom, flipping off the kitchen light on the way. "Oh my God, you're so heavy." She gripped Chloe's bare thighs to hold her up.

And Beca is trying.

She's trying so hard not to think about how soft Chloe's thighs are. How smooth they feel under her palms. How they're the perfect combination of soft and firm. How they've somehow ended up wrapped around her hips. And how she fits  **perfectly**  between them.

And she's trying hard to resist the urge to just squeeze them, to rub her hands all over them, up and down and just feel them, to  **feel**  Chloe.

"Are you calling me fat?" Chloe's breath tickled her ear and made her head feel fuzzy. Like her breath somehow seeped through her eardrum into her brain and started causing mayhem.

"Yes." Beca stopped in front of Chloe's closed bedroom door. She leaned down for Chloe to open it for her.

"Teamwork, yay."

Beca blinked slowly as the door barely cracked open.

"That's all you got, Red? I'm literally carrying you on my back and you can't even properly open the door for me?" She pushed Chloe higher up onto her back.

"I'm sorry, I tried." Chloe rested her chin on Beca's shoulder as she whispered.

"Okay, are you ready for this? It's going to be one fluid motion so hold on tight okay?" She felt Chloe's arms wrap tighter around her neck as she leaned back and kicked the door open. "Fuck you, door!" She quickly leaned forward again, afraid she would lose her balance. The door quickly flew open before bouncing against the wall and swinging shut in Beca's face again. "I totally saw that coming but I didn't do anything to stop it.."

"You know, you didn't have to kick it that hard. Now it hates you." Chloe reached down to turn the doorknob again.

"You're right. I'll try a different approach." Beca stretched her head out and kissed the door. She pushed the door open with her lips as she stepped into the room. "Muah!"

"Wow, you really know how to treat a door, Becs."

"Jealous?"

".. Yes."

"Okay, you're totally high. Come on, let's go get those pearly whites cleaned alright?" She made her way to the bathroom before reluctantly letting go of Chloe's legs to let her down.

They settled into Chloe's bed after going through their nightly routine. They were laying there in the dark when Chloe turned to face Beca. She lifted her arm over Beca's face.

"Feel how soft my skin is, Becs." Beca kept her eyes closed as stroked Chloe's forearm.

"Wow, so soft." Beca mumbled.

"And I smell good too. Smell my arm." She pushed Beca's hand out of the way before laying her arm on Beca's face.

"Wow, smells so good."

"You didn't even smell me."

"Why? You always smell good, Chlo. There's nothing new here."

"But I smell a different good today. Smell me." Beca sighed before inhaling Chloe's scent.

"Mm. Okay."

"What do I smell like?" Chloe pulled her hand back.

"Um.. okay." She grabbed Chloe's arm blindly and brought it up to her nose to smell her again. "What is that?" She smelled harder. "Some cucumbers? Wait no. You smell like the ocean."

"Pretty much."

She let Chloe's hand fall to her side.

"Huh.. it's nice. Fresh.." Chloe watched Beca as the brunette laid there with her eyes still closed. "You're like a mermaid.."

"Am I Ariel?" Chloe gasped excitedly. "Oh my god, my nodes. It fits."

"No, you're Ursula." Beca giggled as Chloe jabbed a finger in her side. "Don't. I'm tired.." She whined.

"I'm Ariel.. Who does that make you?"

"Me? I'm Sebastian."

Chloe grinned widely.

"How are you Sebastian?"

"He's.. he's the one who gets in trouble every time Ariel is acting like a little bitch." They chuckled. "But he's always there you know? Lookin' out. Plus, he can make a sick beat on the spot."

"When have I ever acted like a little bitch?"

"That one time at the lodge-" Chloe pinched Beca's ribs, causing the brunette to shriek. "Okay! Never, what? You've never acted like a little bitch, not once. Nope, never. That's why you're not Ariel."

"I swear if you say Ursula-"

"You're that little shrimp guy that announces Sebastian's arrival at the concert." This time Chloe dug all her fingers in Beca's side, finding the space between her ribs and wriggling her fingers hard. She felt Beca's muscles contract under her fingertips and dug deeper. "Stop! Jesus!" Beca squealed. She grabbed the redhead's hand before scooting herself away from the redhead, far enough to be safe when she released Chloe's hand from her grip. "Please stop."

"I'm totally Ariel, stop talking."

"Fine. You can be Ariel with your dumb thingamabobs and your dumb Prince Eric."

"I don't want a Prince Eric.. Why would I want a Prince Eric when I have a Sebastian right here who can make me a sick beat whenever I wanted? Eric never made Ariel a sick beat. He committed murder for her."

"He totally did." Beca chuckled.

"I don't think I'd want anyone to commit murder for me.. I'm happy with a sick beat."

Beca didn't really know what that meant, but she liked it. It made her happy, and she wanted to go to sleep with that thought on her mind, so she did.

But Chloe wasn't done talking to her yet.

Beca was almost asleep when Chloe poked her cheek.

Softly, she whispered to her.

"Becs.." She poked Beca's cheek again when the brunette didn't reply. "Beca.."

"Hm?"

"I'm.. really happy."

"That's great, Chlo." She reached down to hold Beca's hand.

"No, listen.." Beca reluctantly opened her eyes and turned to look at her. "I'm  **really**  happy."

"Yeah?" Chloe nodded. "And why is that?"

"I mean, there's so much going on and I know I've been kind of stressed out lately. Aubrey's getting married to someone I'm sure she doesn't want to marry, and I'm still unemployed like a loser, depending purely on my parent's funding. But.." She squeezed Beca's hand. "We are good people, and we have good friends. And we have a good home. And I'm here. And you're here with me. And I'm really happy. And I think some people take that for granted but I'm really thankful."

"Mhm.. Well you're never going to that spa ever again." Beca turned to lay an arm over Chloe's waist. "Go to sleep." Chloe smiled before cupping Beca's face in her hands and quickly kissing her forehead. "Ew.." They brunette buried her face in her pillow to wipe the kiss off.

"Are you happy?"

"Hm?"

"Are. You. Happy?"

"No, because you won't let me sleep." She watched as Beca closed her eyes and yawned.

"Answer me.."

"I just did."

"Becs."

"Fine." Beca groaned. "Am I happy?"

"Yeah?"

Beca opened her eyes again to look at her. She pulled her arm off the redhead to lay flat as she looked up at the ceiling. Chloe waited patiently as Beca's mind worked over the question. Chloe felt her heart jump when she saw Beca's lips curl into her usual smirk.

"Yeah, I'm pretty happy."

".. Good."

"I mean, I could be happier."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah.. but that's a conversation for another day. Right now, I'm pretty content with my level of happiness."

"Me too." Chloe scooted closer until they were sharing Beca's pillow and wrapped the smaller girl in her arms.

"I'm not sure how to feel about this."

"Hm?"

"You spooning me."

"Well I think you should get used to it." She whispered as she rested her chin on Beca's shoulder.

* * *

"Wake up." She poked Beca's nose. "Psst."

"No, thank you." Beca mumbled.

"Please? I'm bored watching you sleep."

"Maybe you should stop watching me sleep then."

"I can't." Chloe whispered through a grin.

Beca took a deep breath before finally opening her eyes. She could see Chloe smiling at her from the corner of her eye. She couldn't help the smirk from appearing on her face.

"Good morning, Becs."

"You're such a creep. How long have you been awake?"

"I don't know, I lost track of time."

"That's unsettling."

Chloe watched Beca rub the sleep from her eyes.

"..I'm gonna go over to Aubrey's tomorrow. The engagement party is this weekend and we need to try on the dresses, so I'm going to stay there since I don't really have anything to do here. You can catch a ride with someone right?"

"Nope." Beca rocked her head lazily from side to side. "We have graduated. I don't ever have to go on another road trip with those girls ever again."

"Well how do you plan on getting there then?"

"Maybe I could take the longboard.."

"Becs, it's like a four hour drive."

"Maybe I should buy a bike."

"Maybe you should buy a car. How are you the one with a job but no car?"

"Because your parents are rich? Plus, Chloe, I refuse to become a slave to gasoline. Down with the man." Beca growled through gritted teeth as she slammed a fist on the mattress.

"Beca, electric cars are a thing."

"But.. they're all so ugly."

"Don't you want a car?"

"I do.."

"Then you should buy one, Becs."

"..I should." Beca sat up, startling Chloe in the process. "Get up, let's go."

"What?"

"We're going to find me a car."

* * *

Chloe had her hand hanging out of the passenger side window of Beca's new car, feeling the cool night air flow between her fingers as she watched the city lights pass by.

Beca found herself constantly glancing back at her, watching the wind blow her red hair everywhere. She would smile to herself whenever Chloe had to pull her hair off her lips whenever they would somehow end up in her mouth.

"Chlo, are you tired?" Chloe turned to Beca who was turning down the music. She smiled as she shook her head. "We should go home, though. Don't you need to pack?"

"I do.. how long have we been driving?"

"Hours.."

Chloe sat up and laid her hand on Beca's arm.

"How do you like it so far?"

"I think I love it."

"See? This whole time you could have had your own car but noo. You just had to a stubborn little butt." She reached over to pinch Beca's cheek.

"Okay I get it."

".. Let's go home. All this sitting cannot be good for the booty."

"Oh you're right. We gotta take care of that booty."

"Hell yeah. This booty is holy. I gotta treat it right."

Beca rolled her eyes.

"Okay, calm down, Sir Mix-a-Lot."

"Don't hate on the booty lovin', Beca. In fact, you should get in on the booty lovin'."

"No thanks. I'm good. " Beca stared up at the stoplight nervously. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Maybe around ten-ish." She nodded as she bit her lip. ".. Will you be okay?" Chloe asked softly.

She glanced at the redhead.

"I'll survive."

"Are you sure? Should we go to the grocery store so you can stock up?"

"I can go to the grocery store without you." Chloe tilted her head, unconvinced. "You'll only be gone for like a day and a half. I can handle it."

"I don't think you can."

Beca chuckled.

"I don't think I can either.."

Chloe squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"You'll be fine without me."

"Next time you see me, I'll have a beard and twenty cats."

"I'm okay with the cats but please no beard. I like your skin soft."

"Do not hate on beards. I'm going to grow one now just 'cause I can."

"But.. you can't.."

"I can try! I'm trying right now!"

"It's not looking so great."

"It's harder than it looks, Chlo!"

"I can see that." Chloe propped her elbow on the car door and rested her head in her hand as she watched Beca tap out a beat on the steering wheel as she drove.

"..What?" Beca blurted.

"Nothing." She smiled innocently when Beca squinted at her.

"It's always nothing with you."

"No. It's just nothing you need to know."

"Nothing I need to know?"

"Mhm.." Chloe nodded with pursed lips.

"I think I deserve to know what's going on in that red head of yours."

Chloe averted her gaze back out the window.

"I don't think you'd want to know.."

".. Sure I do, Chlo." She felt Beca's eyes on her but she kept hers trained out the window.

".. Next time, Becs."

Beca glanced at the now quiet girl.

"You sure?" Chloe nodded. "..Okay, but I'm holding that against you." Beca reached over poked the redhead's neck as she warned her.

Chloe flinched hysterically before grabbing Beca's finger.

"Not the neck." Chloe cautioned.

"Oh my God." Beca smiled as she glanced back and forth between the road and Chloe's wide eyes. "Did I just find your spot?"

"What?"

"Your spot. You know how everyone has a spot that's like super sensitive? Your neck is that spot. Am I right?" Beca questioned as she tried to pull her finger out of Chloe's sudden death grip. "Let go, I need two hands on the wheel."

"You should have thought of that before you tried to jab at my neck."

Beca's finger slipped out of Chloe's hand and she instinctively tried to poke the redhead's neck again. She laughed when Chloe slapped her hand.

"Ouch."

"Stop."

Beca smiled at her.

"I found your spot." The brunette whispered loudly.

"Do you want a cookie?"

"Yes, that would be great.. So is it your entire neck or more near the jaw? Or maybe lower where your neck becomes shoulder? Maybe near your collarbone?"

"As if I'm going to tell you."

"Alright." Beca leaned back in her seat.

"Where's your spot?" Chloe asked nonchalantly, trying hard to not make the question seem too obvious.

"Oh no, Red. You're gonna have to figure that one out on your own." Beca's eyes widened, she really needed a mental filter sometimes.

"Challenge accepted."

Beca glanced at Chloe nervously. Her face flushed when the redhead winked at her.

"Fuck."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who are worried about me putting in angst, don't even worry about it guys. This fic is FLUFF first and foremost. ALWAYS. London Grammar - Sights


	20. "Especially For Chloe"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! Aubrey is in this chapter. YAY

Beca's heart jumped out of her chest when Chloe swung open her bedroom door at 9 in the morning.

"Wake up!"

"Jesus! What?!"

"I'm leaving in a bit. Get up!"

She sat up with her eyes still closed. Chloe had already left for the kitchen when she finally opened them.

She barely slept and neither did Chloe, but that wasn't important. Chloe was leaving. Sure, she was going to see her the next day but still, it sucked.

She rolled herself off the bed and lazily slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a cardigan before freshening up in the bathroom.

"Why can't you just leave later?" She slowly shuffled from the hallway and slumped into one of the kitchen stools.

"Because I have things to take care of once I get there." Chloe was buzzing with energy. She always is, but it was more frenzied today. Less organized and more rushed. She quickly floated back and forth from room to room. Checking how much food was in the fridge, whether it would be enough for Beca to last until the weekend, making sure she had all her things.

It reminded Beca of the morning of their graduation when everyone was preparing for the ceremony and they all had to take turns to do each other's hair and makeup. Back when everyone was rushing and yelling at each other, all piling into the restroom for their turn with the mirror. It was hectic, and she hated being there but looking back at it now, she wouldn't want it any other way.

She smiled to herself as she relived the memory.

"Slow down." Beca sang. "I just wanna get to know you, but don't turn around-"

"Tell that to the world, Beca. I don't have time."

"Mayday! She shot me down!" Beca teased, clutching her heart. "My fragile heart is.. broken. Shattered into a million pieces."

Chloe stopped in her tracks to look at the surprisingly playful brunette.

"Someone's happy to have me out of the place."

"No, I just want you to remember how fun I am when you're off doing all that boring wedding stuff with Aubrey. Your BFF!"

Chloe breathed out a chuckle, shaking her head, too astounded to think of a comeback.

"I am offended but I am going to drop it because I don't have time." She stopped to look at Beca. "But in all seriousness Beca, you need to remember to have a balanced diet-"

"Jesus, Chlo. It's not even two days! I think I'll survive!"

"Listen to me! You absolutely cannot eat chocolate waffles for every meal. Do you understand me?"

"I wasn't going-"

"Yes, you were. Do not lie to me!" Chloe pointed at her, daring Beca to try her.

Beca held her hands up, unable to hide her smile. "Fine. I won't have chocolate waffles for every meal."

"And now that we're on the subject of food, please remember to eat! I know how you get when you're working on a new song. You practically starve yourself until you get to your musical checkpoint or whatever. That's not healthy, Beca. You need to eat."

Beca thought it was funny that Chloe had to remind her to eat like she was some kind of toddler. "I will remember to eat."

"And speaking of the song, I want you to send it to me the second you finish it okay?"

"Oka-"

"The second!" She pointed her finger in Beca's face again.

"Aye aye, captain. Jesus Christ, bossy much?"

"Remember to make sure the stove is off before you go to bed."

"Got it."

"And to turn off all the lights, and to lock the doors, and close the blinds."

Beca stood and grabbed the redhead by her arms. "I can handle it! Now can you please just sit down for a second." Chloe's eyes quickly darted to the couch. "You have time."

".. Yeah okay, sure."

"Did you eat yet?" Beca asked as she twisted her back, satisfied when she heard it pop more than a few times.

"Not yet. I was going to get something on the way."

"No, you're not eating and driving. I'll make you some food real quick." Beca made her way back into the kitchen. "Waffles?"

"What did I just say?!"

"Whoa relax! Just this once. You haven't left yet, so it doesn't even count! Plus it's for you, not me."

Chloe crossed her arms over the backrest of the couch and tucked her feet under herself as she watched Beca calmly gather the ingredients onto the counter. She smiled when Beca glanced back up at her.

"Can I help you?"

"What? I can't watch you?" She teased.

"No. You can't."

"And why not?"

"I don't want you finding out my secret ingredient."

Chloe perked up.

"Secret ingredient? Is it love?" Beca rolled her eyes as Chloe tilted her head with a charming smile on her face. "Aw, Becs. It's love isn't it?"

"It's cocaine, but what's the difference right?"

* * *

 

Chloe was leaned up against her car, twirling the ring on her thumb when she heard Beca grunt from the trunk.

"You okay back there?"

"Never better!" Beca hissed through her teeth as she pushed the overstuffed duffel bag into the trunk.

"You got it?" Chloe asked as she pushed herself off the driver side door. She flinched when Beca shut the trunk just as she was turning the corner.

"Yeah, it's good." She huffed, clapping the dirt from her hands. "You only have that one bag?"

"Yep!"

Beca let her hands rest on her hips, unsure of what to do next.

"You have everything then? Your phone? Charger?"

"I have everything." Chloe stepped forward and snared Beca's wrist to pull her closer.

It was a weird feeling. She felt like she was going away on a business trip, leaving Beca to hold down the fort with the kids. She felt a strong urge to give her a goodbye kiss. But somehow, both fortunately and unfortunately, she managed to resist the impulse as Beca's chin came to rest on her shoulder. They stayed like that, wrapped around each other, hugging in the parking complex until Beca reluctantly pulled back to open the door for her.

"You got a full tank? No check engine light or anything like that, right? Are your tires good?" Chloe nodded as she slid into the car. She puckered her lips to the side as Beca closed the door and knelt down.

"Everything's good."

"Call me when you get there, okay? If anything happens, you call me first. I don't want you getting kidnapped. I'll come pick you up."

"Got it."

"Seatbelt? Mirrors? Is your phone silent?"

"All good. I'm good to go." They scanned each other's faces quickly searching for any hint of unspoken desires.

".. Okay." Beca slapped her palm on the door to push herself up but the redhead managed to grab her hand just as she was stepping back.

"Wait." She pulled Beca into the car through the window and wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck and squeezed. She waited for Beca's arms to wrap around her, and was satisfied when they did after a few seconds of one sided hugging.

"Drive safe, okay?" Chloe pulled back and quickly planted a kiss on Beca's cheek. "Jesus Christ, woman."

Beca untangled herself from the redhead and took a step away from the car before wiping her cheek with her sleeve.

"Don't do that.." Chloe laid her arm on the door and rested her chin on it.

"Do what?"

She pouted. "Wipe my kisses off."

Beca blushed. She didn't mean to wipe her cheek, it was just a reflex of hers. A reflex she absolutely despised now that she knew it hurt Chloe's feelings.

"Oh.. I-"

"Come here."

"..No."

"Beca.." She quickly glanced the lot afraid to look Chloe in the eyes. Those damn eyes that could convince her to do anything if she stared long enough. "..Beca."

"What?"

"I want to kiss you." Chloe said softly, too afraid to speak any louder because she knew her voice would betray her by wavering.

Beca's eyes fell on Chloe's instantly like lead weights. Her stomach flipped and her heart threatened to break through her ribcage.

"Becs, let me kiss you."

Chloe reached out for her again and her lungs seized, shriveling up in her abdomen.

She instinctively rolled her eyes and immediately regretted it when Chloe frowned. It was another reflex on her never ending list of reflexes she hated now. Hesitantly, she stepped back towards the car and knelt down again.

"You should know that I don't let anyone else pull this kind of shit on me." Chloe softly tilted her chin up and cradled her jaw.

"I know." Again, Chloe leaned in and kissed her cheek softly, lingering just a little longer this time.

And of course Chloe's lips are the softest lips to have ever touched her skin. Beca had never realized that, partly because whenever Chloe would kiss her, she would just peck her. Beca had never had the opportunity to fully appreciate the softness of Chloe's lips. But boy, is she appreciating them now.

Beca quickly pushed herself off the car and took a deep breath, afraid if she stayed within arm's length of the redhead, she would do more things than just sit there while Chloe kissed her cheek.

"Would you get out of here already?"

Chloe watched the tiny smirk form on Beca's lips before starting the car and reversing out of the spot.

"Love ya, babe!" She yelled out the window, blowing a kiss to the brunette who was shaking her head.

"Bye!"

Beca watched the car stop at the entrance of the complex. She smiled when Chloe's head popped out of the window but quickly got confused when Chloe pointed across the street. "What?!" Her voice echoed through the complex.

"Ugh!" Chloe's frustrated grunt echoed back to Beca. She retreated back into the car and grabbed her phone.

The brunette jumped when her phone rang but quickly picked up. "Chloe! Didn't I say no phones?!"

"Jesse is parking his car across the street right now."

"Oh fuck. Okay bye. No phones!" She quickly hung up and dashed back to the elevator.

She turned the corner to their hallway and knocked on Kelsey's door desperately.

"Beca?"

"Hi, um is it cool if I hide in here real quick?"

"Um.. sure?"

"Cool, great, thanks. You're a lifesaver, dude. I owe you." Kelsey stepped aside to let the panicked brunette in. She closed the door and turned to Beca who was now crawling on the floor of her living room.

"Um.."

"The ex."

"Ah.." Kelsey nodded understandingly. "Right."

Beca was confused when she heard a pitter patter approach from the hallway. She was delighted to find a tiny white fluffy dog literally bouncing over to her.

"You have a dog?!"

"Oh yeah, her name's Blue." Beca held her hand out for the dog, but she quickly retracted it when she realized Kelsey was fully dressed.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, are you going somewhere?" She stood, ready to leave.

"Oh yeah I have to go to work in a bit, but don't even worry about it, I got time to handle this with you."

"..Thank you." She turned back to the dog that was watching up at her, panting like it had just ran a marathon. "She's so cute."

"Yeah-"

"Beca?! I know you're in there!" Jesse's voice rang through the entire floor as he slammed his fist on the door. Beca cringed.

"Maybe I should tell him you're not there?" Kelsey whispered to her as she pointed to the door.

Beca's eyes widened. She clasped her hands together and shook them desperately.

"Please.. but wait!" She gestured to the dog. "Will Blue be okay?"

"Yeah I leave her alone all the time. Well not all the time but, yeah she'll be fine."

".. Can I maybe take her over to my place? Chloe just left and I mean I could use the company-"

"Yeah sure if you want." Kelsey shrugged.

"Awesome. Chloe's going to be so jealous." Beca pulled the dog into her arms as Kelsey squeezed out the door. She darted to the door and peeked out the peephole as the dog licked her hand. She listened closely to their muffled conversation through the door.

Kelsey nervously tapped on his shoulder and took a step back. "Hey man, she's not in there. I think she just left."

"Oh um.. Do you know where she went?"

"Sorry, I don't know."

He nodded before offering her his hand.

"I'm Jesse. The ex. I promise I'm not psychotic, I just really need to talk to her."

"Oh yeah man I get it. I'm Kelsey.. look, she's not in there and my other neighbor Mrs. Kellman is a real old person so I mean, if you don't want her to come out here and beat you with her cane, I suggest you leave." He scratched his head before nodding again.

"Yeah.. I'm uh.. sorry I bothered you."

"It's cool."

Beca's calves were started to hurt from tiptoeing. She smiled when Jesse turned to leave.

"How 'bout that Blue? Kelsey is a genius." Beca whispered as she scratched behind the dog's ear. "Is he gone?" She asked after cracking the door open.

"Yep."

She poked her head out to make sure the coast was clear.

No Jesse.

She sighed before finally stepping into the hall. "Thank you so much, I owe you big time."

"Hey no problem, maybe you could dog sit for me whenever I feel like hitting the town. I think she likes you."

"If you need me to, sure. I wouldn't mind. I could use some company."

"Cool thanks, I need to go to work now but her food is in one of bottom cabinets in my kitchen, there's a leash hanging on the coat rack inside if you want to take her for a walk, and an extra key in the bowl, just remember to lock up."

"Got it, cool. Thanks."

"I need to go now."

"Oh, right. Yeah okay.. have fun."

Kelsey stepped forward and kissed Blue before turning to leave.

"Thanks, see you later."

Beca returned to her apartment after Kelsey left, dog still in hand. "Welcome to Casa del Taco, Blue! We're going to have so much fun. Chloe's going to be so jealous. It's gonna be great."

* * *

"Chloe!" Aubrey ran up to the car as Chloe pulled into the driveway. Chloe couldn't turn the car off fast enough so she settled for setting it in park. She quickly swung the door open and hopped out just in time to catch Aubrey in a bone crushing hug.

"I missed you, Bree!" They rocked each other as they hugged. Chloe pulled back to look at her face. "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Fine?!" Chloe looked over Aubrey's shoulder at Luke who was standing at the doorway of the single story home. "Luke! She's fine?! That's not good enough!"

"I try my best, Red!"

She smiled sympathetically at him before turning back to Aubrey.

"He's trying his best, Chlo."

Reaching back into the car, she plucked the key out of the ignition before kicking the door closed.

".. Sometimes that's still not good enough, Bree."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing.." Chloe was practically shrinking under Aubrey's intense gaze. That gaze that she was all too familiar with.

".. Luke, baby! Be a doll and grab Chloe's things?"

"On it!" He hollered back.

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Bree."

"Shut up, do you really think I'll let you stay at some crap motel when I have a perfectly good guest room that I just remodeled?!"

"Remodeled?!"

"I'll give you the VIP tour, let you know all the details."

"Right after I call, Beca." Chloe wrinkled her nose when Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"Are you guys together yet?"

"It's not that easy, Bree."

"-Fuck!"

Chloe quickly spun to find her bag on the floor with Luke's foot under it.

"Language, babe!" Aubrey yelled, startling Chloe in the process.

"Sorry! What in the hell is in this thing?!" He hissed at himself.

Chloe flinched when Aubrey snapped in her face.

"What do you mean it's not that easy?" The blonde quietly asked.

"Exactly that." Chloe sighed as Aubrey threw her head back and groaned to the sky.

"You are so blind-"

"Look, Bree. Let's not talk about my painfully dry love life and get to planning the last bits of your wedding, sound good to you?"

".. Fine." She shooed Chloe away. "Go on, go call your lover."

"She's not-"

"Chloe Beale, don't you dare finish that sentence!"

Chloe sighed before walking off to call Beca. It took only two rings for Beca to pick up.

"Hey dude, I'm assuming that since you're calling me, that means you're safe and sound at Aubrey's? And if you're not, then I'm going to be mad. Don't make me hulk out on you."

"Don't hulk out on me. I just got here." Chloe busied herself by picking at the bark of a tree that stood in Aubrey's front lawn.

"How is she? Was the trip okay?"

"Yeah. I don't know, she looks great actually, she's kind of.. radiant. What are you doing?"

"Oh my God, guess what!"

"..What?"

"So you know how Jesse came over?"

Chloe squinted, unsure if she like where this conversation was going.

"Yeah, what did he want?"

"What he usually wants.. to talk." Chloe could practically see Beca rolling her eyes. "Anyways, I went to hide at Kelsey's place. And guess what she has!"

"Um.. a pot farm?"

"What? No.. Oh my God can you imagine if she did, though? Maybe that's why we liked those brownies so much. But no. Hold on, I'll send you a pic."

"Okay.. what've you been up to?"

"Um.. I've been working on the song since you left and I'm almost done but there's something missing and I can't quite put my finger on it so I'm taking a break from that.. there I just sent the picture. Oh! And I got most of the set list done!"

"That's great, Beca. I'm proud of you for being so productive."

"Thanks, beb."

She leaned against the tree as she listened to Beca's breathing through the phone. ".. I miss you." She kicked the tree root shyly as if Beca could see her blushing.

"It's been like four hours, Red. You need to keep it in your pants, maybe?"

"Doesn't mean I don't miss you." She bit her lip as she glanced over at the house and shrieked when she spotted Aubrey in the window sill staring at her.

"-Jesus what?!" She clenched her heart as Beca yelled through the phone.

"Shit!" Chloe covered the phone speaker to yell at Aubrey. "Walk away, Bree! Nothing to see here!" She huffed as Aubrey waved at her sheepishly and drifted out of view. "Sorry, Bree just scared the crap out of me."

Her phone dinged and she clicked on the notification with Beca still on the line. Her eyes widened at the picture of the dog asleep on their couch and Beca's wide smile peeking out from the top corner.

Beca could hear her prolonged gasp through the phone.

"Kelsey has a dog?! Since when?! Oh my God that is the cutest- what's his name?! Why haven't I met him yet?! Beca, why is life so unfair?! I won't be able to meet him until like.. next week!"

"First of all, it's a girl. Her name is Blue."

"Blue?! That's the cutest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. It's like Blue's Clues."

"I know right? I basically just stole her. We've been hanging out since you left. She loves me."

"This picture is my wallpaper now. I love it.." Chloe pushed herself off the tree to stand up straight. "Okay, um.. I have to go now. Keep sending me pictures of the dog. Talk tonight?"

"Yeah sure."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye-bye."

Chloe smiled down at her phone as she hung up. She skipped into the house to look for Aubrey and she was only three steps into the house when Aubrey's voice came from behind her.

"You're quite giddy after that phone call."

"Jesus!" She spun to find the blonde standing behind her with her arms crossed. "How did you-"

"What did she say?"

"Nothing." Chloe pursed her lips as Aubrey squinted down at her. "Honestly Bree, what is she going to say?"

"Something like hey, wanna make out even though I'm a gross little troll who went and did it with a treble just to say hey, screw your rules?" Chloe shook her head. "You ready for the tour then?"

"Lead the way."

* * *

"Done!" Beca stretched her back over the backrest of the couch as she groaned.

She glanced at her phone to check the time. 7:34pm.

_Kelsey should be back soon._

She had been working on the set list for Aubrey's wedding for hours as Blue slept next to her, she couldn't help thinking that Blue was a bit boring. The dog slept all day for fuck's sake. All Beca really got to do was take pictures of her while she slept and send them to Chloe, if she wasn't counting that potty break.

She patted the dog as she got up to grab a snack and her head was a mile deep into the fridge when someone knocked on the door.

"Speaking of the dev-" She opened the door to find Jesse standing there, hands nervously rubbing on his pants. "..il." She frowned.

"We need to talk."

"Mm... " She squinted, pretending to mull over the idea. "Yeah.. no we really don't." She was starting to close the door again when Jesse jumped forward to hold it open.

"Yes we do, Beca!" Beca glared at him, prompting him to release his grip and take a step back. "I'm sorry, but we're both going to the wedding, things will be awkward if we don't settle this now. Please just let me in so we can talk.. please?"

_This could be a good thing.. Or it could completely go to shit._

She took a deep breath before stepping aside to let him in.

".. Thank you."

"Shoes off. Chloe just mopped this morning. The cleanliness needs to last 'till this weekend at least."

"Right." She walked back over to the couch and pulled Blue onto her lap as he kicked his shoes off. "Nice place."

"Thanks." Beca distracted herself by nervously flipping the dog's floppy ear in and out.

"You have a dog?"

"Neighbor's." She looked up to glare at him as he crept forward. He looked better than before. He shaved, maybe even combed his hair. "Can you stop with the small talk and get to the point?"

"Okay, fine.. About what I said-"

"I know what you said. No need remind me, I remember every word. Is that all? Okay, nice talk bye-"

"No, listen. I-.. What I said was- I didn't mean it. I was drunk. And.. I was hurt. I'm still hurt for fuck's sake! But what I said was really, really low and shitty and I need you to know that I didn't mean any of it. It was stupid and I know what I'm saying right now probably doesn't mean shit but.. I only said those things because you broke me-"

Beca scoffed. "I broke you?!"

"-Yes! You fucking broke me, Beca! Is that so hard to believe?!" Blue sat up as he yelled and Beca desperately tried to calm her down as she felt the tears forming in her eyes. Fur feels weird when your palms are sweaty.

".. Not in front of the dog, please." She forced a smile when Jesse chuckled lightly.

"I'm sorry.."

"I think she forgives you."

"One down, one to go."

Beca looked up into his desperate eyes.

"Jess-" She stopped when someone knocked on the door again. After waiting for him to take a step back, she stood and took a deep breath. Slowly, she walked to the door and peeked through the peephole with Blue still in her arms. After wiping her tears, she opened the door to Kelsey. "Hey, Kelsey. She was great, slept all day."

Kelsey watched her closely as she took Blue from her. "Thanks.. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Um.. I'm having that talk that he kept insisting on." Beca pointed over her shoulder at Jesse. She pursed her lips as Kelsey leaned in to whisper.

"If you need me to come save you, just send me a text."

A small smile formed on Beca's lips.

"Thanks.. but this is inevitable." She watched as Kelsey nodded at her and turned to return to her apartment.

"She seems nice." He spoke softly as Beca shut the door and turned back around.

"She is. Did me a favor just this morning."

Jesse grinned. "You put her up to that?"

"She offered."

"I'm hurt. Do you know how much gas I could've saved if you just talked to me the first time I showed up? I came to apologize."

"Maybe I wanted you to suffer." She smirked at him as she sat on the couch again. ".. You can sit, I guess. If you want." He pointed at the other end of the couch and she nodded.

He turned to her after taking a seat. "I'm so sorry, Beca. About what I said.. about you and about Chloe."

"Yeah, you should be apologizing to her not me."

"I will. As soon as I can, I promise.. but what I said was just shitty and hurtful and I regret every word. I was drunk both times. It's just that.. you have to understand that you.. you were it for me, Becs. I was in love with you.. I still am." She watched as his hand reached for hers. "I still love you."

"You can't.. fucking say that to me." She felt her tears overflow their ducts and glide down her cheeks.

"..I know." His hand hesitantly wrapped around hers as she sniffled. "But if I can't have you that way, then I'll settle. Because you're too damn important to me. And I can't fucking shake you off. Trust me I've tried. I watched some rom-com the other day and I couldn't get through five minutes of it without laughing about how much you would have hated it if you were there." He scoffed at the memory.

".. I didn't know. I need you to know that I didn't know."

"Didn't know wha-"

"If I knew, I promise you, I would have ended it a long time ago. But I didn't.. I didn't know. And I hate myself for not knowing sooner. I thought that.. that was how it was supposed to be. But it wasn't, was it? It wasn't."

"Can I ask you something?"

She shrugged. ".. I guess."

"Was it.. ever there for you?"

She flash-backed to their first kiss, after the bellas first ICCA final performance. How she strode off the stage ever so confidently with the rest of the bellas behind her like she was on a mission. And how she just really needed to kiss someone in that moment, anyone really. That person being poor, sweet Jesse since he was the closest one she had to being in a real relationship with. It was a stupid heat of the moment thing, but it was one that she could never regret even if it did take her three years to figure out that it wasn't right for her.

".. Not like that, no.. I'm sorry, Jess. I really am."

He took a shuddering breath. "Okay, that's okay. It's not your fault. I know that. And I know that nothing happened between you and Chloe. I only said that because, I don't know, I needed some shitty excuse to be mad at you. But I know you guys wouldn't do that." He squeezed her hand. "..You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, Beca. And if you don't love me, then-" She looked into his deep brown eyes again.

"-I do, Jess. Just.. not the way you want me to. And I know that sounds so fucking cliché and I fucking hate that I actually said that out loud but it's so true."

He nodded as his eyes scanned her face.

"Okay. If you don't love me like that.. then that's okay. I'll move on, I promise you I will. I just need some time. Just give me some time. But I still want you in my life." She sniffled as he smiled at her. "You're my buddy. So, don't you forget about me okay?"

She punched his arm weakly and smiled. "..You don't even know how happy that makes me, Jess."

".. Friends?"

"Best friends?"

"Okay, one step at a time. You just broke my heart for Christ's sake, I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of commitment." She laughed through her ragged breath.

".. I hate you, Jess."

"I love you too, Becs." He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her.

"And I'm sorry I can't love you the way you want me to."

"It's okay. I get it.. you're lesbian." Beca pulled back.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're-.. Are you not?"

She scoffed. "What? Just because I don't love you like that, that means I'm gay right?"

He shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. You're spinning it the wrong way."

"Well, what way am I supposed to spin it?!" Beca stood from the couch and walked over to the other side of the coffee table to distance herself from him.

"Don't, Beca." He held up his hand as she paced the floor.

"Don't what?!"

"We literally just made up not even a minute ago and you're mad again!"

"Yeah, because you had to go and be a complete idiot and call me a lesbian!" She threw her arms in the air.

"Why are you so offended?! You're totally head over heels for Chloe! Do you not understand what that word means?"

"Yeah, but Chloe's-"

"No, stop right there. Do not finish that sentence. Chloe is the first girl you've fallen for yeah, but she's far from the first girl you've ever been attracted to. You and I both know that. I've seen the way you look at girls, Beca. You don't look at guys like that.. You've never looked at me like that."

He was right. Beca knew it, but she had always been stubborn.

"That's not- that doesn't mean anything."

"What do you mean it doesn't mean anything?! It means everything!"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Fine.. Fine! If you're not gay, then deny it!"

"I'm str-wait-" Beca's breath got caught in her throat and she froze. Her eyes widened as Jesse's eyebrows shot up expectantly. "Wait! No, I'm not!"

"You hesitated! You fucking hesitated!" He pointed at her accusingly.

"Mm.. no. Nope." She shook her head again.

They both took a second to compose themselves. She could tell he was thinking hard about what he was going to say next.

".. It's okay, Beca." She took a step back as he stood. "If you're not, then okay, I'll drop it. But if you'd just stop to think about it.. I mean, I think you are, and I think that you think you are too.. and that's  **perfectly okay**." Her eyes dropped to his feet. She watched them as they cautiously made their way to her. "You know that that's okay right?"

"Of course I know that's okay! But.." She looked up as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "No. No. Nope. Nope-nope-nope. This doesn't happen to me, Jess. This shit doesn't happen to  **me** , it happens to other people. Not-.. not me."

"It's happening, and it's happening to you and you need to face it. Say it with me now." His hands slid up to hold her face up. "I. Am. Gay."

"..I can't." She shook her head. "I'm not."

"Bi? Pan? What else is there? Demi? Lovato or Moore?" He chuckled to himself.

"Shut up.. um, bi maybe?"

"If Henry Cavill asked you out on a date, would you say yes?"

"No.. I mean he's beautiful but I don't think I can deal with all that publicity."

"If Evelyne Brochu asked you out on a date, would you say yes?"

"..That's not fair! She's Evelyne Brochu! I'd have to. She's perfect."

"Hate to break it to you Becs, but both Henry Cavill and Evelyne Brochu are tens and if you're willing to deal with the pap' for the girl and not the dude then you're gay-or.. lesbian. Now say it out loud."

"What kind of stupid logic is that?!"

"Your first real crush ever, boy or girl? One celebrity you would do anything to marry, boy or girl?"

They were girls. All girls.

She thought for a second before shaking her head. "I can't do this, Jesse. Don't make me do this."

"Yes, you can. You're strong, Becs. You got this. Just three words, what like six letters? It's nothing, they're just petty words. You can do it. Trust me, you'll see the world in a whole new perspective. It'll be so much easier once you stop denying it. Okay?"

"It sounds like you've dealt with this type of thing before."

"Trebles-um.. Don't change the subject! You need to accept this-"

"Wait trebles?!"

"Shut up! Now say it with me!"

"..O-Okay."

"I."

She took a deep, unsteady breath. "..I."

"Am." She never realized how calming his deep brown eyes were until now.

"A-am." Her voice started to waver but she swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing this was for the better.

"Gay."

It all made sense. Why she frowned whenever she spotted a heterosexual couple in public, secretly telling herself that she could treat that girl better than any guy would. Why she never wanted to go on a date, to put on a little cute dress to impress some guy who probably only asked her out because he liked her face. Why she loathed the stupid pick-up lines that guys always got away with using and why she hated it when the girl would say something like 'that was cute, you're so funny'. Why she always took a little longer to put on her game jersey before a soccer match. Why she liked playing house with Elizabeth Garrett so much in kindergarten, and why she was almost always the dad. Why she was always so eager to share her crayons with this Ellie who always smelled like play doh and strawberries and summertime. It suddenly all made sense.

He waited patiently for the last word. It seemed like forever until she finally folded.

"..Gay." She breathed out, closing her eyes as she felt her face become flushed. "Oh my God.." A quiet gasp escaped her lips as he pulled her in for a tight hug.

"You know.." He rested his chin on her head as she nuzzled into his chest. "Now I totally get the appeal of having a gay best friend, who would have known? Those basic white girls were onto something."

"I thought you said you weren't ready for that kind of commitment." She began to breath heavily as the situation started to set in and he squeezed her tighter.

"Yeah, but come on.. I just helped you realize that you're gay. I might not have asked for the role as your lesbro but this position just fell onto my lap." She chuckled again as she squeezed him tighter. "I think I'll take it and run with it. Who knows, maybe it'll have some benefits."

".. I'm gay? What the fuck?" She muffled into his chest. "What the fuck, Jesse?!"

"You're totally fucking gay.." He pursed his lips trying hard not to frown, thankful Beca couldn't see his face. "Especially for Chloe."

"Especially for Chloe."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys remember that song slow down by Bobby Valentino because I had that song on repeat for a solid month when it first came out. Also can you imagine a tiny little 5 yo Beca having a crush on a little girl who smelled like play doh and strawberries and summertime? Guys, if that doesn't sound like the cutest thing ever, then idk what is. Omg 5yo Beca Mitchell having a crush omfg guys honestly, I cannot deal with the idea of an even more tiny Beca. My heart. BTW Aubrey ships it so hard. So hard guys.  
> ps. please don't tell me I missed an opportunity by not naming the dog Billie. I know what I'm doing.. well, not really.. but.. idk where I'm going with this.. k


	21. "You Suck, Beca Mitchell"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AW GUUYS! I loved reading all your comments on the last chapter! I'm not sure if you guys have noticed but the chapters are getting longer and longer. I started out with CH.1 somehwere around 1.5k words, but this one is hitting 6.8k words! Lots of important stuff in this one but had to slow it down cause I gave y'all too much with CH.20. lol Enjoy

"Hey." Beca's voice was calming through the phone, it was deeper and softer somehow. Like she had just woken up from a nap. And Chloe noticed, because she's heard it in the mornings when they would wake up together. And she's heard it whenever Beca was done mixing her songs after hours of silence in front of her laptop and mixing equipment. And she's heard it whenever Beca was half asleep next to her, trying to stay awake just to talk to her, to keep her company when she couldn't sleep. It was Chloe's favorite sound. And hearing it made her happy. Happier than she has been all day, if she wasn't counting when Beca let her kiss her that morning.

"Hi." Chloe sighed contentedly as she laid on the bed in the guest bedroom of Aubrey's house.

The couple had already gone to bed after an entire day of endless phone calls and frustrating discussions about colors and flowers and themes and guests that normally Chloe would love, if she wasn't constantly analyzing every single interaction between the couple.

She was exhausted but she could never turn down a phone call with Beca.

".. Jesse came over again, he just left like an hour ago."

The redhead sat up and leaned against the headboard. She hugged her legs close to her chest, bracing herself for what was to come. ".. Oh yeah?"

".. Yeah, we kind of made up."

She tensed up and bit her bottom lip, trying to stay calm as fear jump started her heart.

_What does that even mean?_

"Um-What does that.. What do you mean made up?" She shut her eyes tightly as she rested her forehead on her knees. Her breath slowed in anticipation for Beca's answer.

"We're.. I guess.." Beca paused for what seemed like forever. "Friends."

"Friends?" The redhead breathed out.

"Yeah.. best friends? I don't like saying that out loud. Long story short, he came over, we talked and hugged it out and we're okay now, I guess. You know, I never realized how much I missed him.. as a friend." Chloe felt the tension release as she finally remembered how to function as a human again. This was a good thing. Great, even. Beca's relationship with Jesse was fixed so that means that Beca is happy and that makes Chloe really fucking happy, ecstatic even. "He said he still needs time, though."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah, just like that. He um..he helped me with something."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

".. I don't think it's something I should tell you over the phone."

"Fine then." She feigned offense. "Don't tell me."

"Look Chlo, just know that it's something good, okay? Good for me. Don't worry about it. It's all good."

"Well anyways, I think that's really great, Beca. I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks, Chlo.. That reminds me, he wants to talk to you. He'll be at the wedding so that means he'll be at the engagement party too. Will you be okay with that?"

"Why in the world would he want to talk to me?"

"Well, he-"

"And why would I not be okay with that?"

".. Umm.."

Beca was stuck again, like always whenever Chloe was involved. Why would Chloe not be okay with that? Jesse and Chloe had always gotten along relatively well considering Jesse's ability to put on a smile whenever the redhead was within ten feet of Beca. But Chloe wasn't Beca's new fling or anything like that. It wasn't like there should be a lot of tension expected between the two right? Tension between the ex and the woman she was not so secretly swooning over? Never heard of it. There's no drama there. No tension at all. Or at least none Chloe should be concerned with, according to Beca.

And now that she thought about it, Beca realized that she wasn't quite ready for Jesse to apologize to Chloe just yet. Because if he did, then Chloe would know what hurtful things he said about her behind her back. And if Chloe found out about that, then she would be heartbroken. And a heartbroken Chloe Beale is a heartbreaking thing to witness, that's something Beca knows all too well. She's seen it once before when Chloe found out that guy Tom had cheated on her way back in their first year. It was as dreadful for Chloe as it was for Beca- okay, not really, but still- she watched the redhead cry herself to sleep for two days in a row and even then, Chloe wasn't back to her bright, peppy self until they had spent the summer together with the redhead's family. But during those days, those heart wrenching days where Chloe Beale was in fact not Chloe Beale, Beca was there for her. Granted, she didn't know what the hell she was doing, but she was there, offering the little condolence she could, which was pretty much everything she had to give.

Plus, Jesse had reasons for saying those things behind Chloe's back - horrible, shitty reasons that don't justify anything he said- but still.. reasons. And Beca knows that Chloe would go to the ends of the Earth for those reasons, because she's the type of person that everyone loves and she would go out of her way just to understand why that one person, out of hundreds, just might not like her as much as everyone else did. And if Chloe knew of those reasons that made Jesse say those things, then everything else will unravel. Secrets will be out in the open. The beans will be spilt. The cat will be out of the bag.

And Beca was not ready for that.

Not by a long shot.

So maybe Jesse shouldn't apologize after all.

"Becs?" Chloe's voice snapped her out of her daze.

"What?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah why?"

It was the truth. Beca was fine. Yeah, she just realized she's gay, but a few hours of constant hyperventilation and a shot of hard liquor can calm down a raging bull.. if that bull was as much of a lightweight as she is, of course.

"You sound kinda different. Like you're speaking softer than usual. Do you have a sore throat? Are you getting sick? We have nyquil in the-"

"What?"

"Are you getting sick?"

"No I'm not.. I don't have a sore throat, I'm not getting a cold.. It's summer, Chlo. I don't think I'm getting a cold anytime soon."

Chloe laid back down onto the bed and began to trace the comforter pattern with her fingertips. "Good." She sighed.

"How's the wedding planning with Aubrey going? God, that sounds so awful, I have a headache just thinking about it."

"It was okay. I couldn't really focus. What are you doing?"

"I'm working on the song. Just keep talking to me, sometimes when I'm distracted, my body goes into autopilot and it does things on instinct that I would never think of doing and it usually turns out great."

"So.. distract you?"

"Yeah. How was your day?"

"It was busy.. Yours?"

"Busy but in a boring way. I kinda wish I saved that spa day for myself."

"We could always go together." Chloe teased.

"No thanks, you came back high last time." Chloe breathed out a chuckle as her phone beeped indicating a notification. It was a text from Aubrey.

**11:48 pm**

**Breezy: I can hear you flirting your face off. I'm trying to sleep here. Tone down that toner**

Chloe smiled at the text, she quickly sent back a "sorry" to the blonde before continuing her conversation with Beca.

"Have-" Her phone beeped again. This time it was an email. "Hold on.." She sat up to look at it.

"Mhm." The brunette happily hummed, tapping away on her laptop.

She clicked on the notification and quickly skimmed the email. It was from one of the elementary schools that she sent out her applications to. She scanned the email as fast as she could and her eyes fell on two specific words.

"Interview" and "Wednesday".

"Beca.."

"Yeah?"

"I have an interview next week."

"Really?!"

"Yeah." She huffed out in relief.

"That's great, Chlo."

"I really want to scream right now but Aubrey is sleeping."

"So?"

"So she needs her rest."

"Okay I'll scream for you. You ready?" She braced herself as she heard the brunette take a deep breath. "Chloe, oh my god you have an interview next week, that's amazing and wonderful and I'm really fucking happy for you!"

"Okay, okay.. nothing happened yet, it's just an interview."

"..You-you're gonna nail it, Chlo."

"Thanks, beb." Chloe bit her lip as she twirled her hair on her finger.

"You're going to get a job and we're gonna pay all our bills on time and build up our credit, and we'll be domesticated adults, and stay in on friday nights and it'll all be so damn boring but it's going to be so great. We could have game nights and play scrabble cause I'm so fucking good at scrabble, Chlo.. Chlo, I'm so good at scrabble. Don't worry, I'll let you win sometimes just to keep you coming back but once you think you're finally better than me- BAM! I'm back on top."

"It kind of sounds like you're going to propose to me." Chloe teased through a wide smile that made her grateful that they weren't skyping.

"Bitch please, we're practically married already."

".. Are you drunk?" Chloe couldn't think of any other explanation for that sentence.

"I m-might have taken a shot or two to calm my nerves.. What of it, woman?!"

"Nerves?"

"Yeah.. nerves." Beca sighed.

"You gonna tell me what you're doing, being all nervous for?"

"I wouldn't call it being nervous.. more like in shock."

"Well, why are you in shock?"

".. It ain't none of your business, little lady."

"Little lady? I could beat you up."

"You probably can, no one's arguing that point, but just 'cause you're bigger than me, doesn't mean you're still not tiny as shit, ya' tiny shit."

"Maybe not, but it does mean that you don't get to call me little lady. In fact, I should be calling you little lady.. little lady. Or maybe tiny shit. Yeah, I think I like tiny shit better."

"I'm not complaining.."

"Tiny shit? You're going to accept that? You're not thinking straight."

Chloe was confused when Beca laughed loudly.

"I'm totally not." Beca giggled. "..Guess what."

"What?"

"I think I just finished the song."

Chloe hopped off the bed and darted to Aubrey's dining room looking for her laptop that she had left on the table. After spotting it on the dining table, she quickly snatched it and retreated back into the privacy of the guest bedroom. She dove back onto the bed and swung the laptop lid open after quietly shutting the door behind her.

"I'm skyping you right now, pick up."

"We don't need to skype, Chlo."

"I want to see your face, shut up." Chloe grinned widely when Beca's face popped up on the screen. "How do you feel about it?" She quickly brought up her email on another tab and waited for the email to arrive.

Beca hung up and set her phone aside before scratching her head.

"I don't know what to think anymore. You know when you work on something for so long, you can't even formulate a real opinion on it anymore 'cause.. I don't know, you know what to expect from it? I don't know, I just need a fresh mind to tell me what's up, and guess who that is?"

"Your one and only?"

"If you want to call it that." After receiving the email, the redhead hastily downloaded the file and plugged in her headphones. "Can you stop being so excited? What if it's not as good as you expect it to be? I feel like you're setting the bar awfully high."

"Beca, nothing you will ever do can ever disappoint me, okay? Now can you please shut it while I listen to this."

Beca watched closely as Chloe listened to the song, but it was hard for her to make out her opinion since the redhead hasn't stopped beaming since her face popped up on her laptop screen.

She smiled when Chloe shut her eyes to fully appreciate the music.

She could watch her forever, she thought. She could make songs for Chloe for the rest of her life just to be able to watch her listen to them. And she could be happy doing just that, would be happy. Because when Chloe feels, she  **feels**. It's in her smile and her eyes and her body language, and it leaves its mark. Chloe emits her feelings. She spreads her emotions and it's always so contagious, you can't avoid it to save your life, no one really can, especially not Beca. All Beca can really do is put on a blank face and pretend like Chloe doesn't in fact have that effect on her. But just because she wears that smug look pretty much every day, it doesn't mean she doesn't want to watch Chloe lose herself to her music every single chance she gets. She secretly loves it- making Chloe feel all these different emotions through her songs, it was like her superpower and she would use it as much as she could if she was guaranteed it would have the same effect on Chloe every single time, and so far, it hasn't faulted once.

The song didn't last long enough for either of them.

"Becs.."

"What do you think? Good enough for the boss?"

"Good enough for the boss?!" Chloe quickly caught herself and lowered her voice into a passionate whisper. "This-this is Grammy worthy!"

"Okay, I think you're just trying to boost my confidence with that one."

"Beca, this is.. this is magical.. Euphoric! Orgasmic!"

Beca smiled as she shyly picked at something Chloe couldn't see. "Orgasmic?"

"Yeah.. Multiple times. Like when it slowed down, I got goosebumps."

The brunette nodded, eyebrows quirked. "Multiple times?"

"Yeah, multiple times."

"Fan-fucking-tastic." She turned away from the screen and whispered quietly to herself behind a hand. "This is going great, me. Being gay is so easy.. four hours in and I'm already giving multiple orgasms? High five, Beca Mitchell." She clapped her hands. "Fuck yeah!" She screamed, slapping her knee.

"What in the hell are you yelling about?"

"Nothing. Forget about it." She cleared her throat nervously. "I'm just kind of drunk and I'm probably going crazy. It's fine, really."

* * *

Beca woke up the next morning with the laptop next to her. They had stayed up past 2 am, talking to each other like some sad teenagers mutually swooning over each other. She wanted to go back to sleep, she always does, but it was Friday and she had to turn in what she had to her boss.

She quickly copied the audio file onto the flash drive before going to wash up and getting dressed. After an extra long pep talk in front of her mirror, she headed out.

"Reggie, you're late." Her boss jabbed a finger in her face. "Wait. Are you late? Who the hell keeps track of these things?!"

"I'm not late sir, I'm about twenty minutes early."

"Oh.. Damn it, Dax! Get your shit together!"

She turned to find Dax sitting in a corner by himself.

"I'm sorry, sir!" Dax yelled back, his entire right arm buried in a giant bag of cheese cheetos.

"Okay Reg, let's see what you got." Beca followed him into the booth and waited patiently as he booted up his laptop. "How do you feel about it?"

"Um.. pretty good."

"That's good." He held out his hand and Beca quickly placed the drive in it. She stood there nervously as he plugged it in and put on his headphones.

She was slapped in the face with deja vu as he listened. Just a few months ago she was standing in this very spot with Emily waiting for his opinion on Flashlights. It was a good memory she thought. He liked it then, he was impressed. But it could be totally different this time. He could hate this. And it didn't help that he was as still as a statue.

Her palms started to sweat and she nervously began to bite her lip.

She jumped a little when he pulled off the headphones and stood up after about five minutes of complete silence.

"Kid.." He stepped closer to her and held out his hand. Hesitantly, she took it in her own and she smiled when he shook it. "You're gonna go places."

A long breath of relief escaped her lips.

"Thank you, sir."

"See, Dax?! This is how you make music!" He screamed over her head, making her flinch hysterically.

She jumped again when Dax's head popped into the room.

"I'm sorry, sir." Dax glanced at Beca nervously.

"You shut up, you crusty, incompetent tomato!" Her boss yelled.

"Yes, sir."

He turned back to her as Dax left. "Take the rest of the day off, Reg."

"Really?"

"Hurry up, before I change my mind!"

"Yes, sir."

Beca didn't even get to sit down before she heard a knock at the door.

"What's up Chewbacca! Oh wait.. Okay, I was trying to say chihuahua, but with Beca at the end but Chewbacca just came out."

The bellas stood in the hallway, patiently waiting for Beca to let them in.

"Where the hell do you come up with these nicknames, Amy?"

"My mind.." Amy spoke softly as she pointed to her head. "Where else?"

"What are you guys doing here?"

"What, we can't come hang out with you?! We're all ready to go. We came to pick you up.. Let us in already, we brought ice cream and Stardust!" Amy whined and slumped her shoulders before Beca stepped aside to let them in.

"I didn't need you guys to come pick me up, I bought a car."

Everyone gasped but Beca assumed they didn't care enough to ask about the details since they didn't even look up.

"No worries, you could follow us out there, Beca." Stacie offered.

"You guys are early though, I was going to leave later. I haven't even packed yet."

"We know, that's why we brought Stardust and ice cream. We'll only be there for the weekend, it's not like there's a lot to pack." Stacie replied. "Someone put the movie on."

"We don't even have a tv here." Beca gestured to the living room.

"But you have a laptop!" Amy suggested, bouncing her brows up and down.

"No! You guys absolutely cannot use my laptop. I use that for work, I don't want ice cream on it. Who do you think you are, even asking to use it? How dare you?"

"Wow, I didn't know she would be so crazy about it." Amy muttered to Cynthia Rose behind a hand.

Stacie perked up. "Good thing I brought mine just in case!" The tall brunette reached into her bag and pulled out her macbook.

Cynthia Rose stepped back and pointed to the laptop, squinting her eyes. "Yo, I do not want to see any porn on that thing.. I don't trust it."

Stacie rolled her eyes as she sat on the couch and loaded the disc in.

Beca shook her head before heading to the kitchen and grabbing a stack of paper plates and a handful of spoons.

"Don't worry guys, I keep all that locked up. You learn things when you're in the game as long as I've been." The long legged brunette teased.

"What is this game you speak of?!" Amy dropped herself next to Stacie on the couch as Beca approached.

The brunette tossed the utensils onto the coffee table before heading into her room. "Save some ice cream for me please."

"Hurry up! We need to pick up Legacy too!"

* * *

The banquet hall was small but Chloe could tell the expenses spared in size were poured into extravagance instead. It was beautiful. Between the lavish chandeliers that hung high over each table and the polished, white marble dance floor, Chloe was stunned.

"Four years, Chloe!"

Chloe jumped when Aubrey yelled at her from the other side of the relatively empty hall.

"I get it!" She hollered back as the blonde approached.

"I don't think you do! Aren't you tired?"

"I'm not talking about my love life right now, Bree. Do you like this place or not?"

Aubrey smiled as she laid a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Oh, I already made the reservation a week ago. I just wanted to show you it. Nice right?"

"It's gorgeous." Her eyes were glued to the sparkling crystal chandeliers as she nodded in agreement.

"Oh um by the way, I have a little bad news." Chloe's smile disappeared as she watched the blonde wrinkle her nose. She's never been a fan of bad news, but then who is?

"What is it?"

"..I kind of need to kick you out because Luke's mom is coming over and it would rude of us not to offer her the guest bedroom. You understand, right?"

"Oh okay, that's fine I'll just get a motel room with Beca, they're all on their way anyways." Aubrey's wide grin went unnoticed by the redhead who had turned around to admire the dance floor. "Beca's going to lose it when she sees this place."

"She's going to lose it when she sees the farm we're having the engagement party at on Sunday. It has a corn maze."

"Oh my God, she's going to freak."

"Hm.." The blonde sucked on her teeth mockingly. "I recall you saying that you didn't want to talk about Beca about twenty seconds ago."

".. No. I said I didn't want to talk about my love life."

"Beca is your love life."

"No, she's not."

Aubrey seemed to tower over Chloe as she glared down at her. "Look me in the eyes and say that again. I dare you." Aubrey smiled widely. "Go on, give it a shot, Chloe." She said softly.

"I- no.. that's not- she's-.." Chloe sighed. "Okay, I'm done."

"That's what I thought.." Aubrey glanced around the empty room before speaking again. "I think we're done here. Do you want to get some smoothies?"

"Smoothies?" Chloe squinted at her.

"Yeah smoothies, come on Chlo, since when are you the sour puss between the two of us?" Aubrey frowned, trying to guilt trip Chloe. "Has hell frozen over? Are the pigs flying? Is it Y2K all over again? I don't remember getting an email."

".. Sure, fine. We'll get smoothies, but then it's back to phone calls and wedding catalogs got it?"

"Of course! Do you know me at all? I am Aubrey Posen, I get shit done when shit needs to get done. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a smoothie with my best friend slash maid of honor who I haven't seen in months." Aubrey smiled when Chloe looped their arms, she happily led her back to her car.

The drive was quick, Aubrey had always been a scarily good driver, speeding just enough to move things along without going too fast to where she would get pulled over. Chloe was a bit envious of her eagle eye for police cars. But her constant lane changing always had Chloe on the edge of her seat. And no one knew road rage until they had gotten into a car with Aubrey Posen.

"So, how's it going?" Aubrey smiled as she sipped her smoothie.

They sat outside of a Jamba Juice under the bright Georgia sun that they gladly hid from, under a giant patio umbrella that stuck at an angle out of the table.

Chloe perked up with a wide smile. "I have an interview-"

"I mean with Beca." The blonde happily interrupted.

"Oh.."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you have an interview, bravo, you're going to get the job. I already know that but.. come on, Chlo." Chloe could see the blonde's eyelashes batting away behind her sunglasses. "You've been working at this for  **four**  years."

"I have not."

"Yes, you have."

"No, I'd say more like three.. and a half."

"More like a good, solid four years.. Chloe, just 'cause you were with Tom, that doesn't mean you weren't pining over Beca. Just admit that what happened with Tom was bittersweet. You knew it wasn't going to last, I think we all did.. no offense. Yeah, what happened was probably the worst possible way to end things but it had to end sometime, right? Tom wasn't good enough for you and I think that him cheating on you made you finally realize that."

"I don't think you realize how cold hearted you can be sometimes."

"It's called tough love. And I have a lot of it to offer you. You should know that by now."

"Oh trust me, I do."

"I told you not to touch the stove but you did and you got burned."

"Okay but how did you even know that Tom was a stove to begin with?"

"He looks like a stove. He has a stove face."

"I don't even know what you're talking about anymore!"

"Okay, so back to Beca. How is it going?"

"I don't know, Bree."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know how it's going.. I have no idea." Chloe shrugged, lips wrapped around the straw of her drink, staring at her feet through the grill of the table.

"How have you gone this long without making a move yet? Seriously, you two are together all the time and you still haven't done the diddly yet? I am.. stunned."

"Thanks for rubbing it in."

"Oh come on, you know I don't mean it like that.. I think you just need to kiss her, take the chance. It's like what father always used to say-"

"Noo.." Chloe whined, burying her face in her hands.

"If the bungee rope is strong enough, jump, and if it isn't, then be prepared to die. Though, I choose not to take that second part into context, it still applies though."

"Jump? What if I don't even have a bungee rope to begin with? Or any equipment for jumping off of metaphorical bridges."

"Then let Beca know and she'll use her short little legs to run down to the bottom and catch you.. or better yet, she'll buy a gondola and fill it with flower petals for you to land in once you jump.." Aubrey chuckled and leaned closer. "Can you imagine her in a beret, a striped shirt and a pencil mustache, standing in a gondola filled with flower petals, singing for you to jump, from the bottom of a bridge as she paddles in the water. Chloe, can you imagine?! That visual is hilarious. That's something she'd totally do for you. You just have to ask-"

"That's hilarious, Bree." Chloe took a long swig of her drink, grimacing at the brain freeze that soon followed. "You're so funny."

"Trust me, Chlo.. Beca will be at the bottom to catch you."

* * *

Chloe perked up when the doorbell rang through the house. She had been waiting for Beca for hours. The sun had already set and Luke's mother had already taken the guest bedroom as soon as she arrived so she was left by herself with her single pack in the living room, slumped over on the couch, browsing every single social media app she had on her phone while Aubrey spoke to the woman in the other room.

She hopped to her feet and dashed to the door to open it for Beca but not before making sure it was her tiny alt-girl first.

Beca grinned widely when she spotted Chloe's face in the window beside the door. "Hey, hey, h-"

Chloe wrapped the smaller girl in her arms the instant she could fit through the crack. She pulled back, flush faced. "Sorry, let me get my bag."

Beca followed her into the house but stayed near the door as Chloe walked off. She was shuffling her feet on the welcome mat when Aubrey emerged from the kitchen.

"Beca!" The blonde approached with her arms stretched out.

"What's up, Aubrey?" They quickly hugged as Luke approached.

"Becky!"

Beca thought her eyes were going to fall out from rolling them too hard.

"Hey, Luke." She recoiled when he came at her, arms wide. He lifted the brunette into the air as he hugged her tightly. "Okay! Jesus! Put me down!" She was happy when he complied and took a step back.

"You ready to be my wedding DJ? First gig, eh? I'm honored to be your first." She smiled when Aubrey punched his arm. "Oi! Bloody hell, that hurt. Why do you hit me like that?"

"It doesn't hurt, shut up."

"I'm sorry, are you me? Do you feel what I feel? If I say it hurts, then it fuckin hurts, babe."

"I didn't even hit you that hard."

"Hard enough for it to hurt.." He muttered.

"Okay fine, I'm sorry I hurt you. I won't do it again." Aubrey forced a smile at Beca who stared wide eyed back.

"You don't mean it." He mumbled under his breath.

"Luke, really? We have guests."

Beca was feeling awkward, like she was physically shrinking. She couldn't tell if the fight was serious or not. They seemed playful but serious at the same time. It was confusing her and she prayed for salvation. And luckily, that salvation came in the form of the lovely Chloe Beale, struggling with her bag as she turned the corner.

"Oh, Chloe! Do you like.. need help with that? Let me help." Beca spoke loudly over the couple in hopes to get them to stop. She was relieved when they both took a step back as she was stepping between the two very tall blondes.

"Um.. sure. Thanks, beb." Chloe smiled sweetly as Beca swung the duffel bag over her shoulder and strode out the door. She quickly bid her farewell to Aubrey before following the brunette out to her car.

"So, I guess Legacy is bunking with us because she's a baby and we're the responsible mama bears. She's waiting for us with Amy and CR."

"That's fine. How is she? I miss her."

"She's okay, I don't know. She's also spending the next week with us at our place. Just cause.. you know, the wedding. Plus it's summer, and she doesn't have anything else to do.. I don't think she has friends that are her age." Beca wrinkled her nose at the thought of Legacy being lonely over the summer.

Chloe on the other hand, had other things on her mind. ' _Our place_ '. They're two painfully simple words but that didn't stop Chloe from getting all giddy whenever they floated from Beca's lips into her ears.

"Sounds fun."

"Do you wanna follow me or should we just take my car?" Beca swung the bag into Chloe's trunk a lot easier this time around. Maybe she was subconsciously stalling the last time, she didn't know.

"I'll follow, I don't want to have to come back here to pick up the car. By the way, we're going dress fitting tomorrow at noon. We're pretty much going to be there all day since Aubrey still needs to choose her dress."

"Her wedding is in like a little over a week and she still hasn't chosen a dress yet? She's losing it, Chlo."

"I know.. Maybe I'll have a talk with her tomorrow." Chloe poked her nose before getting into her car.

"Mm.. good luck with that."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

* * *

Beca knocked on Amy and CR's motel room door before burying her hands in her pockets again.

"Psst.." Chloe nudged her with her shoulder as they waited.

"What?"

Chloe's lips slowly curled up into a smile. "Hi."

"Really?"

"Don't be rude! I was trying to be cute, say hi back."

Beca rolled her eyes and knocked on the door again. "But why?"

"Come on, Becs. Why do you have to be so grumpy all the time?" Chloe reached out to pinch the brunette's cheek but Beca quickly turned away, out of reach. "You grumpy butt."

"Cause the world doesn't deserve a happy version of me."

"But.. don't  **I**  deserve a happy Beca?" Chloe grinned when Beca tried and failed to hide the smirk forming on her lips. "Hi, Becs." She nudged her with her shoulder again.

"Hi." The brunette rolled her eyes again when Chloe threw an arm over her shoulder. "What the hell is taking so long?" She knocked on the door again, this time banging on it. "Can you call them?"

"Sure."

The phone rang and rang and rang before going to voicemail.

"Amy didn't pick up. I'll try someone else."

Beca untangled herself from the redhead to walk over to window and peered in the cracks of the curtain. She sighed when she couldn't see anything inside.

"They're really going to pull this shit on us today?"

Chloe frowned when the call went to voicemail again. "No luck."

"I am not in the mood for this."

"Come on, Becs. Deep breaths, happy Beca. Let's go find her. Okay?" Chloe held her hand out for Beca and smiled when their hands easily slid into each other's. "Do you know what rooms everyone else is in?"

"No. Amy just texted me their room number." Beca muttered through her frown.

"Okay, hey." Chloe squeezed her hand. "Happy Beca." Chloe pulled on her hand and led her along the rooms.

"Oh look, happy Beca is leaving again. Her appearances are very rare so you should be thankful she even showed today.. Look there she goes!" Beca pointed to the sky.

"No, she better stay."

"Too late, she's gone. Bye happy Beca! See you next year!" Beca waved towards the sky with her free hand. "Was fun having you here!"

"Noo, tell her to come back."

"She's gone.. What can I do about it? Nothing, I tell you."

"She'll be back soon."

"You seem pretty confident about that."

"That's because I am confident about it." Chloe pointed over at a truck parked few rooms down. "That's Stacie's truck right?"

"Yeah."

They stopped when Stacie shot out of one of the rooms with Flo behind her and turned to them, arms wide.

"There you guys are! Please! Take the child!" She gestured back into the room as they approached.

"I'm sorry, guys." Emily emerged from the room with a sheepish smile on her face.

"What happened?" Chloe questioned.

"Amy and CR thought it was a good idea to hide from you guys. I was outvoted.."

Beca squinted at her. "..But why?"

"Because-"

"Shut up, Legacy!" Amy shouted from somewhere inside the room.

"Amy, you need to stop being such a bad influence on Legacy!" Beca yelled back. "Her baby brain is too pure for you!"

Amy's head popped up from behind one of the beds in the room. "Well, excuuse me for doing you a favor and trying to get you some alone ti-"

"Shut up, Amy! And please go to your rooms! Everyone!" Stacie gestured Amy and CR forward. "Leave. I drove here, I'm tired, I need to shower and sleep." She glared at the two who slowly emerged from her room.

"Damn, Stace.. Why you gotta be so mean?" Cynthia Rose whined.

"Maybe if you guys would grow up and mind your own business for once, I'd actually respect you."

"Whoa!" Amy shouted, bringing her hands up to hold her head. "Damn, shots fired, CR. Come on, I think we're done here. Someone's in a mood!"

Both Chloe and Beca watched wide eyed as the two walked off.

"Holy shit, Stace.. that was kind of shitty, don't you think?" Beca turned back to the long legged brunette.

Stacie sighed. "I know, fuck. It just came out.. I'll apologize tomorrow, they didn't even really care, look at them."

They turned back around and spotted Amy twerking in the distance with CR cheering her on as she unlocked their door.

"They're fine." Stacie chuckled.

"Still.. shitty." Beca shrugged.

"I know.. Look, I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" She turned around and disappeared into the room and Flo quietly followed, shutting the door behind her.

Chloe didn't waste another second to pull Emily into a tight hug.

"Em! I have missed youu!"

"Hi, Chloe." The younger girl chuckled.

"How are you, my baby child? You baby.. Aw you're such a baby.." Chloe squealed. "Look at that baby face. Aw you're so cute."

"I'm.. I'm eighteen, Chloe."

Chloe turned to Beca beside her. "Becs, she's eighteen, she's such a baby! Aw look at her, she's so tall."

Beca played along. ".. A fucking tall baby." She frowned. "Fuck, why did I have to be so damn short?" She turned to find their room and the other two followed close behind.

"Because.." Chloe skipped forward and wrapped her arm around Beca's neck. "If you were any bigger, you'd be too awesome.. and no one would be able to handle it."

Beca smiled at her before pointing to the sky. "Oh look! Happy Beca is back! Yay!"

"Yay!" Chloe chuckled as she bounced, clinging to Beca's neck.

"Wait what?" Emily asked from behind them.

Beca sighed, too lazy to explain their little inside joke. "Long story, Legacy. Don't worry about it."

Chloe snatched the key card from Beca's back pocket and skipped ahead to unlock their door. She grinned and waved back at them before floating inside.

"You guys want to watch a movie?" She chirped as the two brunettes finally arrived to the room.

"No." Beca frowned.

"Yes."

"Two against one! Sorry, beb."

Beca groaned in response as she dragged her backpack into the bathroom, not bothering to pick it up.

She emerged, 5 minutes later in pajamas and her hair in a bun.

"Finally." Chloe joked.

"Shut up." Beca crawled onto the bed and wrapped herself in the comforter as the redhead got up to change.

"What movie do you guys want to watch?" Emily asked, flipping through the boring infomercials about sippy cups that never spill and stuffed animals that light up. She stopped and snuggled into her blanket on her bed after finding a channel with an actual movie on. "Too late, we're watching Pan's Labyrinth."

"What is this?" Beca yawned.

"You'll see."

Emily had fallen asleep an hour into the movie and Chloe was surprised Beca was still even awake, let alone paying attention to the film.

"Becs-"

"Did you see that shit, Chlo? The mouth.. and the cut.. but he drank the whiskey anyways." Beca whispered, not taking her eyes off the tv. "This is not a kids movie, Chloe.. Oh man this is daaark."

"I think you should turn it off. You're going to get nightmares." Chloe said, watching Beca from under the blanket.

"Oh, shut up."

"Come on, Becs. I'm going to sleep."

"No wait.. I just.." Beca trailed off.

"Beca, you didn't even want to watch a movie an hour ago."

"This is a movie I have never seen before that I actually kind of think is interesting enough for me to waste my time on. Please let me have this."

"You can watch it later, Beca. Please? I'm tired and I don't know how Emily is doing it, but I cannot sleep with a movie like this on."

"Oh, so you're not worried about me having nightmares, you're worried about you having nightmares." Beca teased before turning off the tv.

"No."

"Mhm.. I hope you know I see right through you."

"Whatever."

Beca turned to turn off the lamp and quickly settled herself beside Chloe under the sheets.

"Oh wait, shh!"

"What?" Chloe froze as the brunette held her shoulders tightly.

"Do you hear that?"

Chloe slapped Beca's hands off her shoulders before glaring at the brunette. "Stop it."

Beca chuckled quietly. "Do you need me to hold you through the night?"

"Shut up."

"Okay well, I offered. No take backs."

"No wait-"

"Too late. Night, hoe." Beca turned away from the redhead and curled into a ball. "You fucking wimp." She giggled.

"You're so mean." Chloe whispered as she wrapped her arms around the brunette. "You suck, Beca Mitchell."

"You take that back right now."

"Make me."

Beca quickly pushed Chloe's arms off of her waist to turn around and face her. "I hope you have nightmares." She whispered closely.

"If I do, you'll be the one waking up in the middle of the night.. I know how much you need your rest. You might as well hold me now so I'll feel safe falling asleep."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, it'll like.. carry into my dreams. It's basic psychology, Beca."

"Because you actually know what you're talking about right now, right?"

"Exactly. Don't you want a good night's sleep? I want you to have a good night's sleep. It'd be a shame if you woke up because I was having nightmares.. all because you didn't want to hold me."

Beca rolled her eyes.

"..Should I turn around now?" Chloe asked. "So you can spoon me? I think we fit better that way."

Chloe grinned when she saw Beca's nostrils flaring in the darkness.

".. Hurry up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You crusty incompetent tomato." the greatest insult I have ever come up with. and omg guys look at the first 3 digits of the word count. its 666.


	22. "Seven Alligators"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~I know the slow burn is ridiculous in this fic guys. I think you guys will like this one though.

 

Chloe was watching Beca on her phone across the booth as they waited for their lunches. Her chocolate hair was curled today. Chloe found herself constantly getting lost in them, drowning in the waves. The warm sunlight that poured into the diner made Beca's eyes seem a lot brighter than they were. Chloe happily watched them as they quickly darted across her phone, and smiled when they slowly made their way up into her own.

"Don't you know it's impolite to stare?" Beca mumbled as she slowly blinked at the redhead.

"Only sometimes." She let her chin rest on her fist as Beca rolled her eyes.

"Legacy, make yourself useful and tell her to stop."

"What?" Emily looked up from her own phone in confusion.

"That is rude, Beca." Chloe turned to Emily beside her and wrapped the younger girl in her arms. "You're important. Don't forget that.. I missed you, Em. You should visit us more often."

"Oh, yeah sure. Except I don't have a car.. Maybe Benji can give me rides to your place. What are boyfriends for right?"

"Sounds great!" Chloe chirped before turning and snatching Beca's phone out of her hands.

"Whoa, what? I was-"

"No phones." Chloe warned and Beca rolled her eyes again, she wondered if Beca's eyes have ever gotten sore from rolling them too much.

"But she has her phone.." Beca pointed at Emily.

"Em.." Chloe smiled when Emily dropped her phone in her hands.

"What now, Red?" Beca slumped as she rested her arms on the table.

"Now we have interesting conversation.. Em, how is your mother?"

"She's great, real proud of us for winning the worlds and all. She actually cried-"

"Chloe, what if Aubrey calls." Beca whined.

"Then she'll have to wait."

Beca squinted at the redhead. "Are you sure about that? Because I thought I was done with angry Aubrey, but see, you're thinking about bringing her back and that frightens me."

Emily straightened up in her seat. "Guys, she couldn't have been that bad right?" Chloe and Beca glared at the younger girl. "Like.. that bad? Really? At the lodge she seemed bossy but I thought it was kind of fun in a way. Like summer camp, but also boot camp.. but summer camp!" She smiled, waiting for the two to agree with her.

"You don't know how good you had it, Legacy. You don't know easy we made it for you." Beca peered into the younger girl's eyes as she spoke. "You had it so easy."

"-Oh! Beca, you never told me how it went with the song." Chloe's heart jumped when Beca smirked at her. Instinctively, she grabbed Beca's hands to pull her closer. "Tell me everything."

"Um, well.. He said I was going to go places." They smiled, a bit lost in each other's gazes.

"That's great, Beca." Chloe whispered as she let her head rest on their joined hands. "That's amazing."

"Yeah.." The brunette smiled at Emily as she cradled Chloe's face in her hands.

* * *

"Don't worry, Em. I'll go dress shopping with you once we get back to Atlanta, sound good?" Chloe patted Emily's leg reassuringly as they sat on a couch in the bridal shop Aubrey had handpicked.

"Really?"

"Yeah, duh. Beca's not going to go with you. Just sit tight here, we'll be back soon."

"Okay."

Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and pulled her off the couch, leading her into the fitting rooms where the rest of the girls were already waiting.

"Hey guys!" Chloe yelled into the room.

"Hey! You guys are late. Aubrey is going to be on your ass." Cynthia Rose warned.

"Where is she?" Chloe let go of Beca's hand to let the brunette retrieve her dress from the hanger across the room.

"She's in the other fitting room, the fancy one for the brides only.. Bullshit, I say." Amy scoffed, mumbling to herself.

"Okay, I'll be right back, I'm going to go talk to her."

Beca watched Chloe leave the room before turning to Stacie who was on her phone beside her.

"How is she?"

"Who?"

"The bride-to-be."

"Why would I know?"

".. Because you've been here with her, and I just got here?"

"I don't know, she seems fine to me.."

"Okaay.."

"Everything's fine."

Beca's brows shot up as Stacie shoved her phone in her pocket and strode out of the room. She made her way over to Amy who was seated by herself in the corner, keeping her eyes on the grumpy brunette as she left.

"Hey, Amy."

"Hey, you should try on your dress, shrimpy. Mine fits like a glove. Yours might not, though. You looked like you gained a ton or two."

"Shut up, we have time." She pointed over to the last dress hanging on the wall. "Is that gray one with the blue belt Chloe's?"

"Obviously."

"Just making sure, Jesus. Rude much? Scoot over." She squeezed onto the couch beside the blonde before whispering. "Hey, what's up with Stace?"

Amy's eyes widened. "I don't know. She's been bitchy since yesterday. I told her that I looked better in my dress than she did in hers and she just ignored me. So I thought okay, maybe she didn't hear me, maybe she's slowly losing her hearing from all the shows you know? So I said it again, and she walked away. Like.. what? Where is your comeback? She always has a comeback. I don't know, Yoda. She is in some mood. I'd be worried if I didn't know she'd bounce back some time, I think she just needs her space."

"..Huh."

"If I were you, I'd steer clear of that one for today."

* * *

"Knock, knock.." Chloe lingered in the doorway, watching Aubrey across the room on a platform in a white gown. She smiled as the blonde turned to face her.

"What do you think?" Aubrey twirled for her as she aside for the saleswoman to leave.

"You look stunning, Bree."

"You're just saying that because you're late."

She smiled up at Aubrey as she approached. "Like ten minutes." They turned to face the mirror.

"Ten minutes is enough for a lot of things to happen."

"Yeah, well.. I needed the extra time for a proper lunch."

"That's fair, I guess."

"Look who's loosening up. You know, yesterday Beca had quite the statement to say about you."

"What?" Aubrey glared down at her. "She's lucky I've been rooting for her this whole time, maybe I should stop and find someone else to set you up with.. What did she say?"

"She said you were losing it.."

"That little-"

"Bree.."

"What? You're lucky I know you love her. If it wasn't for you, I'm sure I would have killed her by now."

"Yeah, thanks for that.."

"You're welcome."

Chloe took a deep breath as the blonde turned back to admire herself in the mirror.

She promised herself she was going to talk to Aubrey the second she got the chance, and although she could have had this talk with her in the privacy of the blonde's home the day before, she figured now was as good a time as any. She's known things have been off with Aubrey since she's heard about the engagement; the hesitation, the forced smile, it all dripped with doubt. Confrontation was something Chloe had always had a knack for but this was different. She's known Aubrey for seven years and they have been best friends since the beginning. Alice, the former leader of the bellas, had always been cruel to Aubrey and Chloe equally. It's something they bonded over, how they became so close. Late nights studying would often carry on into early mornings, complaining about the torture they had to go through each practice, and joking about how terribly uptight Alice was. They nursed their aching muscles with a trip to the campus frozen yogurt shop every Friday after practice. They took turns bringing each other midnight coffee and Taco Bell when the other was up all night studying for an exam the next morning. Aubrey was there for her just as much as Beca was when she ended things with Tom, if not more considering Beca was a bit lost for words the entire time. They had always been there for each other, and now was no different. But she's never been through this before. How do you talk about something this heavy? How do you bring this up after talking about lunch just a few seconds ago? She wondered if there was even anyone to even ask for advice for a situation like this. But it wasn't important how she approached the subject, it was important that she approached it at all. She knew she had to ask. So winging it seemed like the way to go.

"Are you sure about this, Bree?"

"No, I like the ruffles on the bottom but-"

"No." Chloe reached for both of her hands. "I mean.. Are you sure about all of this. Marrying Luke." She frowned as Aubrey's expression grew serious. "I know it's probably none of my business but I've never been in this situation before and I'm really worried about you so I'm gonna make sure that you're okay in all of this, nothing else matters right now. And if you're not okay, then- I don't know, we'll figure that out when and if we get to it." Aubrey stepped off of the platform to sit down and Chloe followed suit. "But I need to know."

"I know you mean well, Chlo." The blonde muffled through the hands that her face was buried in.

"I want you to be happy, Bree. And you seem like you are for the most part but sometimes this look will flash in your eyes and I don't know what it is but I'm pretty sure it's doubt. So as your best friend, I need to ask."

"Please don't-"

"I  **need**  to ask.. Do not lie to me this time." She leaned in closer, searching for Aubrey's eyes that had already turned red with tears. "Are you sure you want to marry Luke?"

She bit her lip when the blonde frowned.

".. I don't know." Aubrey breathed out.

Chloe ran her fingers through her hair, trying to find the right words. Aubrey  **doesn't**  know. Aubrey  **always**  knows. Whether it was what she wanted for dinner that night or what retirement home she planned to live in once she's too old to walk, Aubrey Posen always knows. And her not knowing if she wanted to marry a man she was soon to be wed to for the rest of her life in a little over a week's time scared Chloe. Nothing ever happened to Aubrey without her planning for it weeks ahead, not once being less than one hundred and ten percent sure about every single detail before anything is even set in motion. Beca was right. Aubrey's losing it. And Chloe had to stop it. Or at least slow it down.

"Okay, okay." She nodded nervously as Aubrey sniffled. "Um.. D-do you need time? Why are you rushing into this? This doesn't need to happen so soon, Bree."

"It does. It has to. I have to."

"Talk to me, Bree. I don't know what that means."

"I have to marry Luke."

"I don't what that means, Bree."

"It means what you think it means. I need to marry him."

"What-No.. You don't have to. You don't have to do anything-Bree, look at me. What do mean you have to?" Chloe's eyes darted back and forth between Aubrey's, desperately waiting for an answer. "Bree, can you just talk to me? Please."

"I mean.. it means that.. I have to. It's easier. It's.." Chloe peered into the blonde's eyes. "Better this way."

Chloe scoffed. "You did not just say that to me."

"I did."

"No."

"Chloe, you don't get it-"

"No! What does that even mean?! It's better this way. You just said that? That's bullshit, Bree, and you know it." She reached for Aubrey's hand again and squeezed tightly. "Bree, this is your life. If you don't want to marry him, you need to call it off. You can't spend the rest of your life with someone you don't love-"

"I do! That's never been in question. I love Luke okay? If I didn't, don't you think I would have left him by now? I love him I really do, Chlo. I promise I'm not lying. But-.. sometimes the timing's just not right. I mean, I'm here and he's way over there.. but I can catch up, Chloe. Once I marry him, I'll be caught up."

"That's not how it works."

"Yes it is-"

"What if you don't? What if you're just wasting everyone's time? Do you really think you'll last the rest of your lives together?"

"No one knows that, Chlo."

"You see?! If you thought that you'd last with him, you wouldn't have said that.. Bree, can you just stop to think about what you're doing here. If you marry him, you'll probably make him the happiest man alive for as long as you're able. But the fact that you were having doubts the second you told me about this whole engagement, makes me think that his happiness won't last that long. And then what are you going to do? Divorce him? Do you really want to do that to him? Do you really want to go through all that? You're going to hurt him sooner or later. I know you don't want to, but it's going to happen, it's inevitable.. This is your life, Bree-"

"No.."

"No?" Chloe was taken back.

"No, it's not." Aubrey huffed as she wiped her tears. "It's not just my life. It's mine, and Luke's and our families and-.."

"Bree, you need to put this on pause."

"I can't! I-.." Chloe's heart sank when Aubrey looked into her eyes again. "I..  **can't**." She frowned at the hitch in the blonde's voice.

"Why? Why not?"

"It's.. complicated. I can't. I can't, Chlo."

"I could help if you'd just tell me." Chloe wiped the blonde's tears.

Aubrey pulled her into a hug. "You're always helping. Sometimes even when you shouldn't."

"Shouldn't? No one should ever not help someone just because they shouldn't, Bree. If someone needs help, I'm going to help them.. especially if that someone is you."

"Some people wouldn't appreciate that."

"But you do and that's all that matters right now.. You do, right?"

"I do.." Aubrey squeezed her tighter. "I do so much, Chloe. But this time is different.." Chloe pulled back to look at her. "You need to leave it alone."

"Bree, you cannot be asking me to do that right now."

"I think you should go try on your dress. Everyone's waiting. I need to.. compose myself before stepping out there in front of everyone."

".. Bree, you can't be serious."

"Chloe, I'd rather not cause a scene right now. Please, just.. wait for a better time. For me."

Chloe scoffed at her before complying. ".. Fine. Have it your way. You are the bride, right? What she says goes.. Bullshit."

Beca was already in her blue dress when Chloe stepped back into the bridesmaid's fitting room. Her angry march to her stall was cut short when she spotted the brunette looking over her own shoulder, admiring her own derriere that was beautifully hugged by the blue satin dress that reached half passed her thighs.

"Heyooo.." She smiled, trying to lighten her own mood as she felt the tears coming on when Beca's eyes darted around the room nervously. Luckily, everyone was busy heading out to wait for Aubrey in the other room.

"How is she?" Beca stepped closer before noticing the tears forming in Chloe's eyes. Her eyes widened. "Whoa, are you- Chlo?" Chloe bit her lip. ".. Shit." She grabbed the redhead's hand and pulled her into a private stall. Chloe followed, trying hard to compose herself by focusing solely on the softness of Beca's hand in hers.

Beca turned to the redhead after pulling the curtain shut behind them. "Chlo?" She whispered closely. "What happened?"

"She doesn't want to do it. But she's going to do it anyways." Chloe scoffed, looking to the ceiling in disbelief. "She's nuts."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know.. She wouldn't tell me." Chloe frowned as if she was going to start bawling. "She wouldn't tell me." Her voice broke. "Beca, Aubrey wouldn't tell me.."

"Okay-okay, okay please don't cry." Beca quickly wrapped her in her arms and stroked her hair. Chloe crying had always made her panic a little. "Uhh.. Shhh.. Chlo, you need to stop crying okay? I know you just wanna let it all out right now but you can't just yet. They don't know what's going on out there, and if they see you crying, they're gonna know something's up and everything's going to be blown out of proportion and that's- Aubrey wouldn't want that okay? That's not a good idea." Chloe nodded into Beca's shoulder before pulling away. "So, suck those tears back in, you tiny shit. You can cry later."

Chloe chuckled lightly. "I should try on my dress."

"I'll get it. Just stay here." Beca darted out of the stall and returned a moment later with Chloe's dress hanging on her arm. "Okay, I need to change back into my clothes, I'll be right in the next stall." She hung the dress on the wall before smiling at the redhead.

Chloe nodded as Beca left. She sat down and listened to Beca change as she wiped her tears.

"Stupid fucking zipper." She heard Beca mutter behind the wall.

"You okay over there?"

"Yeah.. are you okay over there?"

"Yeah.."

"Okay, I'm almost-.. done. Almost."

"Okay.."

Beca whispered from behind the curtain a minute later. "Psst. Are you naked?"

"No."

Beca stuck her head back into Chloe's stall to find the redhead still in her regular clothes, slumped on the bench and leaning against the mirror, watching her finger trace its reflection. She stepped forward and knelt down in front of her with her lips pursed together.

"You need to try on your dress, Chlo."

"I know. I will."

"Okay, I'll be outside. Okay? Will you be okay?"

"Yeah. I just need a minute."

Beca smiled before reaching out to wipe Chloe's tears. "I'm just outside. Just text me if you need anything." Chloe pursed her lips as she nodded. "Okay.. it's okay. You're okay, beb." Beca hugged her again before stepping back out of the stall.

Chloe fanned her tears as she sniffled before slipping out of her clothes. She pulled up her dress and smiled when she realized that she couldn't reach her zipper. Or maybe she could if she tried hard enough, but why would she do that if one measly text could summon Beca in a heartbeat? She texted Beca 'I need you' before sitting back down.

"One alligator, two alligators, three alligators, four alligators, five alligators, six alligators, seven alligators, ei-"

"What happened?" Beca dashed into the stall nervously. "You okay?"

Chloe smiled up at her sweetly. "Seven alligators. That's pretty good."

"..What?" Beca huffed out as Chloe pulled her wavy red hair to the side and stood.

"I need you to zip me up.." She turned around and watched Beca in the mirror. "And then zip me down."

Beca nodded before glancing over Chloe's shoulder into the mirror. With her right hand, she held the top of two sides of the dress close and with her left, she held the zipper. Chloe's skin was soft and she had a freckle just to the right of her left shoulder blade, it was cute, but she really need to focus on the zipper. Beca casually rubbed her thumb over the blemish after zipping up the dress. She stepped back as she looked into Chloe's eyes through the mirror again.

"What do you think?"

"I think you look.. A-plus fantastico. What? I don't say that.. What does that even mean? I don't know what I just said." Beca fidgeted with her thumb ring nervously as she blushed.

"Is that how you say fantastic in Spanish?" Chloe grinned, turning around to face her.

"I have no idea, I took French."

"Well, thank you. It fits pretty well." The redhead turned back around to the mirror as she chuckled. "A-plus fantastico.. that's one for the books."

Beca's eyes wandered Chloe's curves slowly as the redhead stretched and turned, making sure the dress could handle her ginger jiggles. The dress hugged her body nicely, complimenting her chest, waist and hips. And the shimmery gray satin brought out her eyes even more than usual, not to mention the deep blue ribbon that hung on her waist that made her hair seem more fiery than it was.. and the sharp cut at the cleavage that reached deep, half past Chloe's breasts. She could stare all day, but she really shouldn't. But she totally could. She wondered how Chloe would look with her arms wrapped around her waist and her chin resting on her shoulder. It wasn't that hard to imagine.

She should stop. She didn't have to. But she should.

"I think it's perfect."

It was.

".. I should get back out there."

"Wait. You need to undress me." Beca blushed again. "I mean.. unzip me." Chloe chuckled lightly as she felt her blood rush to her face. Suddenly the air was stuffy and neither girl seemed to be able to take a full breath.

"Right.." Hesitantly, Beca's fingers easily slipped under the top of the dress again to hold it steady. She admired the warmth there. Slowly she unzipped the dress, revealing Chloe's skin again, along with the black strapless bra she was wearing. It wasn't everyday she got to see Chloe's bra. She swallowed hard as she took another step back.

"Thanks, beb."

"Yeah.. I'll be outside." Beca pursed her lips as Chloe smiled at her through the mirror. She quickly stepped out of the stall again and huffed, finally able to breathe again, as she made her way back to the rest of the girls. She sat down just as one of the saleswomen returned to pass out glasses of wine, and grabbed one for Chloe but decided to pass on herself.

"You're not grabbing one for Chloe?" Amy asked teasingly.

"This is for Chloe."

"You're not having one?"

"No, I drove here."

"It's one glass of wine."

"I don't give a shit, Amy."

"Whoa okay, feisty today. Everyone seems so antsy today."

Beca rolled her eyes before spotting Chloe stepping out of the fitting room. She scooted closer to Amy to make room for the redhead on the edge.

"Fucking scoot, Amy." Beca hissed through her gritted teeth.

"I am, Jesus. I don't want to squish Legacy here."

Chloe smiled at the brunette as she took her seat next to her.

"Here." Beca handed her the glass. "You need a drink."

"You don't have one?"

"Is it that crazy for me to want you to be safe when you're in the car with me?"

"Okay, I was just asking, geez." Chloe put her hands up before leaning back on the couch.

Chloe sipped her wine as Aubrey came out of the other fitting room in an off white ball gown. They all gasped, except for one certain brunette alt-girl.

"Guys, I don't know if I should go off-white or white-white. What do you think?" She twirled a few times.

"Off-white, Bree!" Jessica hollered.

Chloe watched as Aubrey's eyes scanned the girls' faces and lingered a bit on Stacie.

"Off-white? What if I went with a pearly white?"

Chloe glanced suspiciously at Stacie who was staring up at Aubrey intently with her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her eyes wide like puppies. She looked back at Aubrey and noticed the blonde's breath seemed a bit labored.

"You okay?" Beca whispered closely as her hand snaked over Chloe's arm.

".. Yeah. It's nothing." Beca hesitantly pulled her hand away before reaching behind the redhead to find Chloe's other hand. Chloe slowly averted her gaze from Aubrey into the brunette's eyes as she felt their fingers lace together behind her back. She blushed when Beca smiled at her.

She really didn't know what this meant.

"-I'm going to try on the pearly a-line one, I don't know if Luke would-"

Stacie cleared her throat before interrupting.

"Excuse me, but fuck Luke if he doesn't like the dress you choose for yourself. He should be thankful for what he gets and if he's not, then he doesn't deserve any of it." All eyes fell onto Stacie as the busty brunette downed the last sip of her wine. Aubrey took a deep uneasy breath before turning and heading back into the fitting room. They all watched quietly as Stacie half-heartedly poured herself another glass.

Chloe shrugged when Beca turned to her, wide eyed and eyebrows knitted together like she was saying "What the fuck" without words. She handed her glass of wine to Beca before following the blonde into the fitting room.

"Whoa, what was that?"

"I knew this was a bad idea. I knew it! Why did I do this?" Aubrey rubbed her temples as she paced the room. "I'm such an idiot." The blonde gagged a few times before composing herself.

"You need a bucket?"

"No.. I'm fine."

".. What's a bad idea, Bree?"

"I can't do this, I need to find a dress today."

"No, you don't."

"I do, Chlo! And everyone is being so.. difficult!"

"Okay, fine. What do you need? Do you want some wine?" Chloe asked half-heartedly.

"No, I don't want wine. I want-.. I want everyone to just focus on the task at hand! I need to find a dress and you guys keep saying these things that are making me feel like I'm doing something wrong."

"Okay, I'll tell everyone to play nice."

"No, I need real opinions if I want to look good at my wedding, at least." Chloe nodded at Aubrey before returning to the rest of the girls.

She pointed a sharp finger at Stacie before hissing at her. "Constructive criticism only! Got it?!"

The long legged brunette held her hands up in surrender. "That was constructive criticism."

"No that wasn't, you basically just told her fiancé to piss off, to her face. That's not helping, Stace. She's freaking out right now. So please can you just be nice." Chloe warned as she returned to her seat beside Beca. Their hands easily found each other again.

"Wait. Why is she freaking out?" Amy questioned before taking a sip of wine.

"She's-" She stopped herself when Beca squeezed her hand. "It's wedding stuff! So stop being difficult!"

* * *

"Ugh! That was horrible! I never want to do that ever again!" Beca rested her arm over her face as she laid on the motel bed. She didn't stop groaning until Chloe spoke.

"Beca, Aubrey-" Chloe's eyes quickly darted to Emily.

"Whoa, what?" Emily shrunk, suddenly afraid she had done something wrong. "What? Who? I didn't do anything-"

"I'm sorry, Em. It's kind of a secret.."

"Oh, do you like.. want me to go across the hall to Stacie's room?"

"Probably not Stacie's room, she's hostile today. Go to Jessica and Ashley's room."

"Oh, okay."

"Thank you.. and sorry." Chloe waited for the door to close before rushing over to sit next to Beca.

She grabbed the brunette by the shoulders and shook. "Beca. Keep your receipt! She didn't buy the dress yet."

"And?"

"And.. that means there's a chance that she won't go through with it. She could have bought it today but she told them to hold it for her. That's good, right?"

"I think so? What did you say to her?"

"A bunch of stuff. And then I got mad. And then she cried. And then I cried. I barely remember it." She let herself lay next to Beca as the brunette chuckled lightly.

"This is good, you planted a seed today. She probably won't be able to sleep for a few days, good job, Chlo!" Beca held her hand out, waiting for a high five as her mouth hung open in a wide smile.

"What?!"

"Kidding-not. But you did good, I think."

Chloe sighed before remembering the feeling of Beca's hand in hers earlier in the day.

She didn't know what it meant then and she still didn't now.

"Becs?"

"Hmm?"

"Back at the bridal store.. why-" She bit her tongue as someone knocked on the door. Her eyes were shut tight as she tried to ignore the knocking when Beca patted her knee.

"I guess I'll get it then."

Beca opened the door to Amy. "Get dressed you two, we're going to hit the town!"

"But we just got back.." Beca whined as her shoulders slumped. "We've been out all day."

"But, Beca! We're going roller skating." Amy nodded and grinned widely, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Beca slowly turned to Chloe who was already smiling at her.

"I don't know, Chlo." She sighed.

"Beca, we are going."

"-Great! I'll text you when we leave." Amy yelled into the room before running off down the hall.

Beca shut the door and turned to face the redhead again. "Are you sure you wanna go out?"

"Yeah, I cried too much today, I need something to get my mood back up.. Do you wanna stay in?"

"No.. yes."

"Come on, Becs. It'll be fun."

Beca slowly blinked at her. "That's what you always say."

"Because I know that it will be."

"Are you a psychic?"

"Yes."

* * *

It was Saturday night so Rodney's Roller Skating Rink was packed to the brim with small middle class families, new overly affectionate couples and weirdly intimidating packs of obnoxious teenagers.

The three disco balls on the ceiling was a bit of an overkill, Beca thought, and the lasers and bad music that might have been popular decades ago gave her a headache. It was like a family friendly rave with wheels. She didn't know what she was doing there.

Chloe loves skating. She wasn't very good at it but she was good enough to the point where she would only fall if someone bumped into her. And that someone was Beca Mitchell more often than not. It's not like she was complaining though.

"Sorry! I couldn't stop. Are you okay?" Beca was on her knees beside Chloe on the floor, she flinched every time someone skated by.

"Yeah.. I'm good. Help." She unsteadily pulled Chloe into a sitting position before sitting next to her. They watched the herd of people slowly skate by in a giant circle as they caught their breath.

"I suck at this." Beca huffed, rubbing the bruise she felt coming on on her shin.

"Yeah, you do."

"Look at me, I'm all sweaty."

"I can't see anything other than these quick flashes of colors that somehow keep shining directly into my eyes."

"I know right? I mean, are they trying to blind us here?" They chuckled at each other as Emily rolled towards them.

"Hey guys. You need help getting up?"

Beca huffed and shook her head. "I'm good here." She waved her away. "I think I'm just going to scoot near the wall over there."

Chloe smiled up at Emily as Beca rolled over and crawled away. "I think I'm going to keep her company. Thanks though, Em."

"Alright."

Chloe smiled again before rolling onto her knees and following Beca who was already leaned up against the wall, wiping her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Fucking Amy, look at her." Beca pointed across the rink as Chloe settled herself beside her. They laughed as Amy crashed into Cynthia Rose, causing a flurry of chaos and destruction as everyone around the two tumbled to the floor in a mess of flailing limbs.

Chloe threw an arm over Beca's shoulder before pulling out her phone from her pocket.

Beca watched as the redhead tapped the camera icon.

She was happy to find that Chloe wasn't kidding when she said that she would put the picture of her and Blue as her wallpaper.

"Say cheese."

Beca shut her eyes to brace herself for the flash as she smiled the type of smile five year olds use when they think smiling is just the showing of their teeth. Chloe was already looking at the picture when she finally opened her eyes again.

"Damn, we look good." Beca sing-songed, resting her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"New wallpaper."

Beca smiled to herself as she watched Chloe set the picture as her wallpaper before setting an alarm for 7 in the morning.

"Why are you waking up at seven?" She lifted her head to look at Chloe.

"I need to help set up for the engagement party."

"Oh.. Should I come help too?"

"Are you sure you can handle that?" Chloe's brow quirked up. "Seven in the morning?"

"Yeah, I can. Please don't leave me alone with the girls at the motel, Chlo. Wake me up."

"Alright, but you better remember this in the morning when you're all tired and grumpy."

"I will." Beca adjusted herself onto her knees and used Chloe's head for balance as she stood. "Ready for another round?"

"You should be asking yourself that question." Chloe reached up to grab Beca's hand but when she tugged on it to pull herself up, she shifted Beca's already shitty sense of balance, causing the brunette to fall on top of her for the hundredth time that day. Fortunately, Beca was quick enough to use her hands to stop herself from face planting Chloe's head. Unfortunately, she landed on her elbows, she was sure they were going to bruise if elbows could even bruise. One arm held herself up, propped on the ground and the other held the back of Chloe's head, like a rugby ball tucked in her arm, taking the brunt of the impact when they hit the floor.

"Whoo.. holy shit. You okay?" Beca breathed out, still laying on top of Chloe.

"Yeah.." Chloe smiled. "I think you just saved me from a concussion."

"My elbows can't take much more of this." Beca finally pulled back, giving Chloe room to sit up. "Neither can my knees, hips, shoulders, ass.. stamina, confidence, pride and ego, I could go on."

"Take two?" Chloe stood, this time using Beca's head for balance. She tilted her foot down, using the stopper for stability before pulling the brunette up by her arms. "And that's how you do it." She smiled at the smaller girl.

"Teach me, master."

"I will show you my ways, young grasshopper." Chloe smiled widely at Beca who was glaring back.

"Cause of my tattoo, that's funny, round of applause from me, I can't stop laughing." Beca shook her head. "Lead the way, little lady.. bug."

They smiled at each other.

"Nice one." Chloe threw an arm over Beca's shoulder. "See what I'm doing here? I'm actually taking you under my wing.."

"Oh we're still doing this bug thing? Okay, um.. hold on I got something brewing." Beca wrapped her arm around Chloe's waist as they rejoined the herd of people.

"I'm waiting, could you hurry it up? We bugs don't live that long."

"I can tell, are you feeling okay? You look kind of.. spotty." Beca smiled when Chloe choked on the joke, the redhead held onto Beca tightly as she laughed. Beca immediately regretted the bad pun now that the redhead was leaning on her clumsy self to keep them both standing, she panicked a bit, almost losing her balance, before Chloe finally pulled away.

"That was so bad." Chloe grimaced.

"Thanks! I try." Beca grinned when Chloe pulled her close again.

".. Thanks, Becs."

"That joke wasn't that good but you're welcome."

Chloe chuckled again.

"No, with today.. helping me." Chloe tried hard to ignore the feeling of Beca's hand that had moved down to hold her hip. "You know, when I cried? I mean Aubrey tells me everything so I guess I really didn't know how to cope with her not telling me something for once. So, it all just came pouring out.. well not really since you totally made me hold it all in. But still, thanks for being there."

"Oh, Chlo don't even- Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing there but I mean.. I'm here. If you need me. Whenever. Okay? I'm here.."

Chloe's gaze is the warmest thing Beca could ever experience, especially now that Chloe's face was inches away from hers. She was way too close if Beca was being honest, and she was practically burning under the heat of Chloe's bright eyes that seemed to reflect every single color in the room right back into her own.

And she felt like something was happening. Like there was a shift in the atmosphere and everything and everyone around them just slowed down. And every sound, from the stupid pop song playing from the speakers above, to the whiny kid who was crying because he just fell on his ass for the twentieth time that day, just became muffled. Like her eardrums just popped but she didn't physically feel it happen.

She knew something was coming, felt the tension in her chest fluctuate.

And Chloe felt it too judging by the look in her eyes.

So she waited, watched Chloe slowly move her lips, and listened to the words that came out of them.

"I love you, Becs."

Beca froze.

Chloe was what Beca would say was the complete opposite of a private person. So words of affection came quite easily to her. But Beca is probably the complete opposite of Chloe. 'I love you's do not come easily to her. She likes to make dumb comments about shitty rom-coms. She likes to reject sappy conversation with sarcasm and wit.

Beca Mitchell chokes on affection.

But this is different because this is Chloe Beale. The woman she sees every single day yet never gets sick of. The woman who barged into her shower stall naked and forced her to sing with her. If Beca didn't want Chloe to cross every single one her heavily guarded boundaries, she never would have auditioned for the bellas.

But she did.

She was late.

But she was there.

And she was surprised when she didn't choke during that audition because Chloe was smiling at her with her thousand watt smile like an actual ray of sunshine beaming directly at her. But she made it. And if she can make it through that, holding her tiny smirk until the end, then she can make it through this.. right?

It's not surprising when every single living cell in Beca's body practically exploded in a flurry of warmth and bubbles. She felt numb, buzzing and stirring and floating all at the same time. She would even say she left her body for a while before returning to her malfunctioning self that was still desperately scrambling for words.

Beca should be used to this by now; Chloe catching her off guard. It almost seemed like it should be a routine. But it's not like Chloe had never said 'I love you' to Beca before. It's just that, well, it feels different this time. The delay like knew she wanted to say exactly that, and it wasn't just some instinctive reflex like the way she says she loves dancing and ice cream. The close proximity and the way her eyes softened the second before she said it like she had to show it in her face. The sincerity in the quietness of her voice, like she didn't want anyone else to hear.

It's different this time.

More.. genuine.

And Beca wanted to say it back. More than anything in the world. Now was absolutely not the time for any type of sarcasm. She needed to say it back.

But her body was not cooperating, and those butterflies in her stomach turned to stone mid flight and crashed into her insides.

Leaving her tongue tied.

"Ssss..." Beca 'Crash and Burn' Mitchell. It wasn't her fault, Chloe caught her off guard. She's never been big with returning affection with words, she wasn't prepared for this. She could literally see the light leave Chloe's eyes. "Whoa!" She panicked. "Wait, don't do that! Don't- don't do that, Chloe."

_Oh no._

"It's fine." Chloe shook her head, trying to continue to move along with the crowd after Beca's rejection caused her legs to become extremely heavier now that her heart dropped to her feet.

"No-no-no. Wait-don't. Chloe." Beca pulled on Chloe, forcing the redhead to face her. "Just-"

"Don't even worry about it, Beca." Chloe's voice cracked as she tried to turn away again.

_Fix it._

"Chloe, would you please listen to me?!" The brunette grunted in frustration when a teenager bumped into her, almost causing her to fall over again. She grabbed Chloe's hand and unsteadily dragged her out of the rink to an empty table after realizing the middle of a roller skating rink probably wasn't the best place to explain how horrible she was with these things. "Please sit."

"Um.. it's fine, Beca. It's okay-"

"No, listen! Sit down, please." Chloe nervously took a seat as Beca unsteadily paced back and forth in front of her in her skates. "Thank you. Um.. okay, I hesitated. Yes, that happened. I definitely hesitated. Which is not a good thing, very bad it-that was uh.. I hesitated, I wasn't supposed to hesitate. You-you're.. m-my buddy and I hesitated."

_Buddy_.

Chloe grimaced at the word. "Yeah, buddies.. Um. I didn't think you'd react like that, I've said it before.."

"Yeah but like-.. not like that!"

"Um-"

"You have to understand that-that.. that that! For fuck's sake!" She sighed in frustration, grateful for the temporary relief. "Those three words are really easy for me to say when they don't mean anything."

".. I don't understand." Chloe glanced around the room nervously.

"Okay um, it's a lot harder for me to say when it actually means something." Beca chuckled anxiously as she pointed at her heart and licked her lips. "Um.. I can't deal with the butterflies that come with it. Like, even with family and.. platonic relationships, I- I still get butterflies. It's a real problem I think. Something that I have had trouble with for a while. And it's just really rare for me to say it out loud to someone that I actually really.. really care about. But that just makes it that much more significant right? It means more.. I think. I can say it to a puppy, no problem. I can say it to groups of people, like the bellas, no problem 'cause I feel like the weight of my words are distributed, you know? But when it comes face to face, one on one, mano e mano.. I-I freeze- because it feels heavier. It's more.. intimate I guess, and that scares me. I don't like to say it, I like to show it. It's just the first time that gets me you know? I'm sure I could get used to it, I just need to start first.."

Chloe was quiet, she could tell Beca was really nervous, she was using too many hand gestures again- pointing, grasping at nothing, brushing her brow, patting her hair down, bringing her fingers to her heart. She would have thought it was cute if she wasn't crumbling inside.

".. Okay."

"That's why I hesitated."

"Okay.. Thank you for letting me know that-"

"Wait!" Beca took a deep breath. "I'm gonna say it back."

"Beca, I get it. You don't need to-"

"I do! Because **I do**. I need to.. because you need to know that I.. do too. This isn't how this is supposed to play out- I'm making it a big deal when it's not a big deal and I'm confusing you. Am I confusing you? Of course I'm confusing you. It's not a big deal but it totally is."

"It's not a big deal." Chloe couldn't remember the last time she lied to Beca.

"But it is a big deal.. to me and I know it is to you too." Beca took another deep breath. "Okay? Here we go. I love- Oh man. I loove.." She swallowed the lump in her throat, growing more serious each time she tried to say it. "I love.. man, it sounds weirder each time you say it right? Love, love.."

"Beca, you really don't need to-"

"Stop talking and let me get through this, please." She took another deep breath before meeting Chloe's gaze, smiling and spreading her arms wide. ".. I love you too, Chlo" She shrugged. "I really do, you're like,"

_The love of my life. No_.

"My best buddy.. We're buddies as that was established half a second ago because I just repeated myself,"

_Enough with the 'buddy' before you friendzone the woman you love_.

"And I'm so grateful that I know you because you're so fun to be around and we click, we're homies, I don't use that word, it's a cool word though, I guess. But, um where was I? Homies. We're homies and you're my roomie so you have deal with my grumpy bullshit every single day but you don't even complain about it." Beca was rambling, the adrenaline pumping through her veins tunneled to her mouth, leaving everything but her heart and lips numb, sputtering out everything she tried so hard to keep hidden in the dark abyss that was her heart. She didn't think she could stop now that she was going. Why stop? She could tell Chloe everything right here, right now. "You have like the most contagious smile ever, and you care about everyone and you're the life of any party and you're soo nice. You're so nice! Like, in every way, in every possible way, you're just so nice.. You're so trusting and you love so easily but I think that that's so dangerous! And you know that I think that but you wake up every damn morning and you go out and you do it anyways because that's just who you are! You're just a sunshine of a person, that's what you are.. fuckin' rainbows, dude! And I hope you never get hurt because you're the only one that actually laughs at all my stupid jokes and you deserve to be happy. You deserve that smile you have on your face all the damn time.. And speaking of that smile- you're so happy all the time! Even when you're sad, you're happy like two seconds later and it's so damn refreshing and you're so vibrant! In every way! I look at you and I'm like whoa! Colors and happiness and summertime and peaches and it's like everything good in the world just got bundled up into a person and that's you, Chloe. Anyone lucky enough to be loved by someone like you should know how lucky they are. And I know how lucky I am to even know you as a person and I think I-"

"What's up guys?!" Amy rolled up to Beca, throwing an arm over the brunette's neck, causing her to almost fall over again.

"Jesus fuck!" Beca pushed out from the pit of her stomach.

Chloe stared wide eyed at the brunette who struggled to find her balance, kicking and flailing her arms in a panic as she clung onto Amy in a desperate attempt not to fall.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"No, nothing." Beca blurted as she composed herself, avoiding Chloe's gaze she felt that was practically burning her face.

".. I totally interrupted something. Oh man, I'll just leave."

"No! Um.. no.." Beca slowly met Chloe's beaming eyes on instinct, she blushed after realizing everything she had just said. "Do they serve vodka here? I need to numb the feeling inside of me right now.."

At least she fixed it.


	23. "I'm Just Winging It"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys, we're picking up right where we left off. Pretty sure you guys are still going to hate me for this one, though. Enjoy?

"Do they serve vodka here? I need to numb the feeling inside of me right now.."

At least she fixed it.

Chloe's lips stretched into the widest grin Beca had ever seen. Wider than the one she saw at auditions, which was saying something. And there goes those butterflies again, fluttering around places they have no business being around and tickling her insides to the point where she couldn't function anymore. But who was she kidding? They weren't just fluttering, they grew arms and learned how to box in there.

"This is a family friendly roller rink, Beca. Sorry to break it to you but if you want vodka, you're not going to get it here." Amy poked the side of the brunette's face before patting her back.

"I think we need to find alcohol before I throw up-"

"You can't get drunk." Chloe happily interrupted. "We need to wake up early tomorrow." Chloe's eyes were stuck on Beca, she wouldn't dare to look away after all that. She wanted Beca to squirm but she wanted to comfort her too, to tell her that that feeling she had in her stomach was a good thing.

The best.

Beca fidgeted with her thumb ring nervously as she squinted at the blonde. "Um, Amy.. is everyone done? I think we're done here."

The drive back to the motel was the most nerve-wracking experience of Beca's life. Chloe sat sideways in the passenger's seat with her legs tucked under her, despite Beca's lecture about how to properly sit in a car. Not once did she take her eyes off Beca, how could she?

Beca just told her she loved her. Along with.. well everything else she just said.

It's not everyday Beca Mitchell even says she likes something let alone all that.

And she said it to  **her**.

It was monumental despite how many times Beca said "Buddy" and "Homies".

Chloe's stare was numbing the half of Beca's face, the brunette had to change the subject, or at least start conversation first. Something to distract Chloe and herself from what had just happened at the rink, especially since Emily was in the back seat humming to an imaginary song.

The newly paved road was very interesting, Beca thought. What is asphalt even made of? It's like rubbery pebbles. Is it sticky when it's new? It has to be sticky, how else would they stick together? And when construction workers paint the roads, how do they make the lines so damn straight? And what kind of paint do they use, and how is it so bright in contrast to the black road?

"What's asphalt made out of?!" She asked a little too loudly.

Chloe didn't bother to reply, she was a bit preoccupied.

"I think it's like tar and pebbles right?" Emily offered before continuing to hum her song.

"Tar.. huh. That's interesting.. Right, Chlo?!" She desperately asked in hopes to get the redhead distracted.

"Mhmm.."

They pulled into the motel and quickly headed for their room. Beca could feel Chloe staring at the back of her head as she strode through the doorway and dropped her things near the bed.

_Objective: privacy, Destination: restroom_.

She made her way to the bathroom as quickly as she could without it seeming too obvious about how badly she was freaking out. The door was an inch from closing behind her when Chloe appeared, holding it open with a hand that slowly crept farther into the bathroom through the crack.

"Becs." She whispered through the gap, slowly eyeing Beca in a way that made the brunette melt.

"Um- yeah?"

"Let me in."

Beca hesitated. "Oh, um I was-"

"Becs, come on I need to brush my teeth." She batted her lashes before giving Beca her infamous pout and puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

Beca's grip on the door knob tightened, tempted to slam the door shut in Chloe's face before she complied and released it.

She stepped aside, nervously watching the redhead squeeze in and close the door behind her as she picked anxiously at her elbow.

Chloe smiled shyly, glancing between the floor and Beca a few times before turning to the sink.

Now, Chloe. Chloe is not one to care for boundaries, especially when it came to Beca Mitchell. She knew Beca had always secretly loved her hugs and cuddles even though she would protest to them every chance she got. She's known for a while that she was the exception to the no touching Beca Mitchell rule. Beca had always let her get away with the constant contact. Beca had even said it herself, it was something along the lines of 'I don't let anyone else pull this kind of shit on me.' Chloe marveled in those words, she spent days and nights repeatedly mulling over them, trying to decipher what in the world what it all meant. But this time, Beca was the one showering her with words of affection, and she's freaking the fuck out. Scaring Beca off is not something Chloe would let herself do, not now that she's gotten this far.

"Why are you freaking out?" She asked, focusing the majority of her attention to the now difficult task of steadily squeezing the toothpaste onto the bristles of her toothbrush.

"I'm not freaking out." Beca sat down on the toilet lid as Chloe pushed herself on top of the counter beside her. They stared at the towel rack, the only sound being the toothbrush against Chloe's teeth and the low muffle of the TV in the other room.

Beca's main focus was to regulate her breathing but it seemed harder than ever now that the cramped restroom was getting stuffier with each labored breath.

Chloe had two thoughts running through her mind right about now. One being her instinct; to hop off that counter, grab Beca by her shirt, push her against the wall and kiss her like there's no tomorrow. Two being a bit more logical; to not do anything, and just wait for a better time, to think about how now wasn't exactly the most ideal time to tell her anything, especially with Emily waiting for her turn with the bathroom.

"You're sho freaking out." Chloe spoke carefully, trying hard not to get toothpaste everywhere. She leaned over after pushing her hair behind her ears and spit into the sink. She thought hard about what she was going to say next, any wrong word could send Beca running or spitting out some stupid witty remark to avoid anything sappy.

Eye contact was not something she could pull off right now without possibly losing control of herself, so she leaned back against the mirror and stared at the ceiling. Casual is the way to go, Chloe thought. Anything too affectionate right now will send the brunette into a never ending typhoon of sarcastic rejection and awkward hand gestures.

"You don't need to be freaking out, Becs. I get it, you don't like putting yourself out there, that's why it's so hard for you, but it's okay.. I got you, beb. I won't make it a big deal.. but for the record, what you said was.." She felt Beca avert her gaze to her and felt her stomach flip. "What you said was the single sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. So, thank you.. it means more to me than you could ever even imagine." She heard Beca take a deep breath and quickly braced herself for what was to come.

"Chloe, w-.. what I said-"

"Don't worry.. Becs. I'm dropping it." She struggled to meet Beca's eyes as she slid off the counter. "Now, hurry up and shower 'cause I feel like the floor of a high school football team's locker room.. plus, Em is waiting."

Beca's heart sank.

It was a big deal. It was a huge deal. Five more measly seconds and she probably would have told Chloe  **everything**. How she discovered how absolutely gay she is. How she wanted to kiss Chloe every time they were within twenty feet of each other.

But Chloe was dropping it.

Like it was nothing.

But she was right. What could possibly happen between them right now anyways? Emily was in the next room waiting on them.

"Yeah.. Yeah, okay." Beca stepped into the shower, fully clothed. Stripping behind the safety of the shower curtain, tossing each article of clothing onto the floor of the stall, one by one, until she was completely naked. She picked up her clothes and bundled them all together before dropping it on the floor outside the shower. Chloe listened to the water turn on as she stared at Beca's pile of clothes on the floor, trying hard not to think about how absolutely naked Beca was, just standing behind that pathetically thin cloth hanging from a flimsy rod that probably wouldn't even put up a fight if she tried to pull it down.

* * *

Memories of the night before flooded Chloe's mind before she even opened her eyes the next morning. They were making progress, and it was the greatest feeling ever.

She quickly turned off the alarm, afraid Beca would wake before she had the chance to watch her sleep.

She was happy to find that the brunette had turned around to face her at one point through the night. The way Beca always looked angry, especially in her sleep was oddly heartwarming.

She watched Beca's eyes darting back and forth under her eyelids and wondered what she could possibly be dreaming about.

Slowly, she reached forward and tickled the tip of Beca's nose, smiling when the brunette shifted and angrily furrowed her brows.

"Wake up." She poked again. "We're late."

Beca's eyes shot open and she sat up like some corpse that had just been reanimated. "I'm up.. I'm up."

"I'm impressed." Chloe smiled at her determination as she folded an arm under her head, instinctively reaching out to rub her free hand over Beca's lower back.

"I said I could do it and I'm doing it." Beca mumbled, closing her eyes again.

"Okay, I'm going to hop in the shower."

Beca swung her head to face her. "You haven't showered yet? You could have woken me up after you showered. And we're late? Didn't you set an alarm? What have you been doing this whole time?"

Chloe couldn't exactly answer that last question without sounding like a creep.

"Relax, we're not late, it's still seven. I just wanted to wake you up. I could use the company." Chloe patted Beca's knee before heading into the restroom.

"Morning guys!"

Beca stared at the younger girl in disgust. How does she have so much energy all the time? It's like she could burst into confetti at any second. It's 7 in the morning for fuck's sake.

"Morning, Em!" Chloe called from the bathroom.

"Are you excited, Beca? I've never been to an engagement party before. Well I have but I was like six years old and it was a family thing so that doesn't really count does it? This is my first friend wedding. Which means I'm kind of getting old. Oh my god adulthood is fun. I'm excited. Are you excited? I already asked you that but you didn't answer so I asked again. Are you going to answer me or should I just stop trying now? Okay I'm going to stop. Unless you want to answer. Well, I guess should stop anyways so you could answer me right? You don't have to if you don't want to though. It's okay, I won't get offended-"

"I'm excited." Beca blinked slowly at her as she heard Chloe get into the shower.

"Are you being sarcastic right now? I can't tell."

"Plot twist, I'm not."

Emily's eyes widened as she gasped. Beca shook her head as she got up to brush her teeth.

Motel bathrooms have great acoustics. Bathrooms in general have great acoustics. It's something both Beca and Chloe knew. Something they've known since their shared moment in the dormitory showers. So whenever they found themselves in the bathroom together, they would sing, if Beca wasn't too grumpy. It was their thing. One of the many things they had. Surprisingly enough, Beca wasn't grumpy today, in spite of the early hour. So, they harmonized together and repeated verses when they couldn't remember the lyrics. And they laughed as they sang and danced around each other as they switched places. Chloe closed her eyes as Beca undressed and hopped into the shower, but she kept singing and so did Beca. They had completely forgotten about Emily in the next room.

Beca poked her head out of the restroom, mascara brush in hand as Chloe dug in her duffel bag looking for her outfit for the day. They were both still in their towels even though Chloe's hair had been dry for a while. "Hey, Chlo, what are you wearing? I don't have to wear a dress right? It's a farm. I don't want to wear a dress to the farm. I didn't bring a dress. It's only the engagement party, I don't have to be all formal. A blouse will do.. right?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm wearing a dress though." Chloe wrinkled her nose when she said it, like she was afraid to offend Beca with her formal wear.

"Okay. Button up navy blouse and jeans it is."

They exited the bathroom together, fully dressed after curling each other's hair. Chloe in a flowy, floor length, floral dress and wedges and Beca in flats, black jeans and her loose fitting, long sleeved blouse.

"You guys are like a married couple."

Beca squinted at the taller girl who was still seated on her bed in her pajamas with her chin propped on a fist.

Chloe threw an arm over Beca's shoulders and smiled. "Aw-"

"Legacy, shut up."

"Don't be mean to her, Becs."

"Don't be mean to her? Remember that time we did that riff off and she choked and then you flipped out on her?" Beca's eyebrows shot up expectantly. "You remember that, Chlo? Huh?!"

"That was.. " Chloe turned to Emily apologetically. "That was a dark time for me, Em. I'm so sorry I was mean to you."

"Hey, don't worry about it." The younger girl waved her off. "We won World's with that song! All's forgotten."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us right now?"

"Oh no that's fine. Amy and Cynthia Rose told me they could teach me how to drag someone today. Which, I mean, sounds pretty simple to me, I think I know how to drag things. I'll meet you guys there though."

Beca scoffed. "Yeah.. have fun with that, Legacy."

* * *

"Chloe, have some of this shrimp. I don't even like shrimp! But this is aca-mazing!"

"I've already had like twelve." Chloe played with her napkin as Beca shoved the shrimp in her mouth.

"It's so good.. Fuck, it's hot out here." Beca fanned herself with a paper plate. "And there's no reception on this damn farm."

"Yeah.. at least we're in the shade." She offered, gesturing to the giant canopy they sat under along with everyone else.

"Yeah."

Beca continued to eat the shrimp as Chloe glanced around their surroundings. There was around fifty people there, most of which Chloe knew. They were alone at their picnic table since Amy and Cynthia Rose went over to Emily's table. The two older bellas spoke passionately to the child as Benji tried and failed to get Emily not to listen to them. Jesse sat right next to Benji, he looked nice when he cleaned up, Chloe can admit that. She remembered Beca telling her that he wanted to talk to her and wondered what for. And as if on cue, Beca excused herself.

"Hey I'll be right back okay? I need to talk to Jesse."

"Okay.." To her right, Chloe spotted the rest of the bellas huddled in a table speaking softly to each other, it was a rare sight Chloe thought. Stacie seemed more quiet than usual, she was distanced an awkward amount from the rest of the girls, fiddling with her plastic fork and glancing up every so often.

To her far left, the engaged couple sat at their own table. She watched Aubrey intently, the blonde seemed quiet since they arrived. Chloe noticed that every single time Aubrey glanced up from her plate, she would look in her direction. What Aubrey was looking at, Chloe could never tell. She was lost in her thoughts even as they began to make toasts.

Beca returned to her side swiftly. "Psst."

"Hmm?"

"You gotta make a toast, Chloe. You're the maid of honor."

Chloe's eyes widened as she sat up. "I didn't prepare anything."

"I don't think it matters, it's not the actual wedding."

"What do I say? I can't say what I'm really thinking. I can't say that I think she's making a mistake by marrying him. What do I say, Beca?! I'm not ready!"

Beca placed her hand on Chloe's and whispered softly to calm her down.

"Whoa relax. Look, just say you're her best friend and you're happy that Luke is there for her or whatever." They nodded at each other just as Aubrey's mother finished her speech. Hesitantly, she stood and tapped her plastic spoon on her blue solo cup. She chuckled nervously at the sound it made before setting it down.

All eyes turned to Chloe.

"Um. Hi everyone, I'm Chloe, the maid of honor." Her greeting was welcomed lovingly and she beamed as everyone yelled hello at her. "Bree, don't be mad at me but I didn't prepare a speech today.." She shrugged sheepishly when Aubrey shook her head. "What can I say though? You're my best friend and I love you like a sister. I'll save most of the sappy stuff for the actual wedding. But know that I think you deserve nothing but the best in life. You deserve someone who loves you with every inch of their being and I know that Luke loves you with everything he has.. you deserve to be happy with someone you love. And I am so proud of how far you've come and how much you've grown since being that dictator back in our senior year." Everyone chuckled. "Oh trust me, it wasn't funny back then." Again, they laughed. ".. I love you, Bree and I hope that married life will be everything you've ever hoped it to be." Everyone raised their cups and cheered as she sat back down.

"Nailed it." Beca whispered.

"You think?"

"Yeah, that was beautiful. Didn't you say you were going to save the sappy stuff for the actual wedding?"

"Well I had to get something out, especially since I'm hoping that the actual wedding won't even happen."

"I almost felt something." Chloe quirked an eyebrow as Beca whispered. "Almost, Red. Don't get your hopes up now."

* * *

"Father, these are the bellas. You know Chloe, then there's Beca, Amy, Cynthia Rose, Flo.. Stacie, Lilly, Ashley, Jessica and Emily."

Aubrey's dad was intimidating to say the least. He was a tall man with a receding hairline that was more silver than blonde. His suit was as crisp as his jawline and Beca didn't think he could hold his chin any higher without it looking like a serious neck problem. Beca didn't think she'd ever met anyone that looked more conservative. It scared her. She wondered why he seemed to like Luke so much, they were complete opposites at first glance. If anything, Luke seemed more like the product of years of neglect from a father like this. But who was she to judge?

"Ah, yes." His deep voice boomed and Beca physically felt it hum in her eardrums and chest. "What a beautiful bunch of young women, makes me wonder why there aren't men on all your arms." He said it to no one in particular but smiled at Cynthia Rose specifically. It was quiet as they all looked to Aubrey in a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"Oh um, mother is calling for you-bye!" They watched as Aubrey pushed the tall man away.

Beca waited until he was out of earshot before whispering. "Holy shit, your dad is an asshole!"

"First damn thing he says is that?! I am so sorry, CR! He doesn't know how offensive he is most of the time." Aubrey rubbed her temples nervously.

"Hey it's cool, Aubrey. I've had much worse." Cynthia Rose shrugged.

"That doesn't excuse his actions. I'm so sorry."

"-Oh my god, I knew he was a 'what the fuck' factor but I was not expecting that." Beca shook her head, staring at the floor. Chloe laid a hand on Beca's arm and spoke quietly.

"Beca, Aubrey's dad is.. well.." She trailed off, careful not to offend Aubrey.

"He can be crazy sometimes, I know. He can be really crazy, and hateful, and homophobic, but encouraging and supportive and guys, he's my dad! He's an asshole but.. man, does he give great advice." Everyone squinted at her, mouths clamped shut.

"Look, it's okay. If that hurt my feelings, you would know, trust me." Cynthia Rose shrugged again and took a sip of her soda with a smile on her face. "It was nothing, really."

Aubrey smiled sympathetically at Cynthia Rose before pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. "You guys wanna try out the maze?"

Beca didn't hesitate to dart off in the direction that Aubrey pointed. She was the first to arrive at the entrance.

"Chloe, hurry your beautiful ass over here!" She yelled as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet.

"I'm coming!" Chloe squeaked from behind, holding her dress in a fist as she rushed over.

She peered into the maze with wide eyes as Chloe approached her side.

"Alright ladies pair up!" Chloe clung to Beca's arm instinctively as the man (she assumed to be one of Luke's cousins) at the entrance yelled. She turned back around to take note of who had paired together. Jessica and Ashley, well of course. Amy and Cynthia Rose had taken Emily under their wing. Flo and Lilly. And Stacie and Aubrey. All set. "Okay, here are your maps, have fun."

Beca grabbed Chloe's arm after being handed the map and dragged the redhead into the maze, leaving the rest of the bellas behind.

"Shouldn't we consult the map?"

"Only when we need it, Chlo." The brunette shoved the pamphlet into her back pocket as she pulled Chloe along, choosing random paths as fast as she could.

"But once we're in it, how will we know where we are?"

"That's the fun part." Beca beamed.

"Okay wait, please slow down I'm wearing wedges."

"Oh, right sorry." Beca let go of her hands to wipe them on her pants as they arrived at a fork. "Right or left, Chlo'?"

"Mm.. right."

"Right, we go!" She grabbed Chloe's hand again to lead her deeper into the maze.

They had been walking hand in hand in silence for about half an hour when Chloe spoke up.

"Hey, didn't Jesse say he wanted to talk to me?"

"Oh, um, don't worry about it. It-it wasn't anything important."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Beca smiled back at the redhead. "How big is this maze?" She asked, desperate to change the subject from all things Jesse.

"Like a soccer field? I don't know."

"Like.. official soccer field?"

"Yep."

"Wow. I could have sworn Aubrey said she wanted things small." Beca stopped when she heard faint murmuring from the other side of the corn wall.

"Well it is a family-.. What?" Chloe stopped after almost walking into the brunette.

"Shh.." Slowly, they crept towards the corn wall. She whispered back to Chloe. "I think it's Stacie and Aubrey.. Do you wanna scare them?" They both grinned widely at each other before Beca ventured into the stalks of corn. Chloe followed close behind as they crept slowly towards Aubrey who had her back to them.

"Boo!" Beca jumped out of the corn and grabbed the blonde's shoulders only to get shoved back into Chloe's arms when Aubrey blindly pushed against her to get away. Chloe held onto the tiny brunette, trying to keep her standing as Aubrey shrieked and clung onto Stacie.

"What the fuck, Beca?! That's not funny!" Aubrey yelled, brushing her hair out of her face angrily.

Beca laughed as she finally found her balance and stepped out of the stalks. She turned to help Chloe out before turning back to Aubrey who was still wrapped around Stacie arm.

"Damn it! Chlo, we should have recorded that."

Chloe met Stacie's eyes and was confused when Stacie quickly dropped her gaze. The two watched as Stacie whispered something in Aubrey's ear, prompting the blonde to untangle herself from her. It was quiet, other than Beca's giggling, as Aubrey composed herself.

"Beca, you're lucky I'm not going to murder you after that."

"What are you gonna do? Make me do cardio?" She quipped, holding out her hand for a high five from Chloe. "Right there, Chlo. Don't leave me hanging-"

Beca visibly shrunk as Aubrey stepped closer and glared down at her.

"Oh my God." Aubrey whispered.

"Hmm?" Beca was confused when everyone took a step away from her. Chloe's eyes widened as she pointed at Beca's sleeve. Beca's heart dropped but she didn't dare to look. "What's happening?"

"It's-"

"What is it?! Help! What is it?! Chloe!" She bounced, holding her arm as far away from herself as she could. "Chloe!"

"Okay! Beca, calm down, beb. It's on your right sleeve, okay? Just-just.."

"WHAT IS IT?!"

"It's a caterpillar!"

Beca shrieked as she flailed her arm. They all screamed as the caterpillar flung from Beca's sleeve towards Stacie and bounced off her left boob before falling to the floor. The taller brunette squealed as she desperately rubbed the lingering feeling of caterpillar off her boob. They all huddled together a good ten feet away from the insect before stopping to stare at the inch long bug on the floor.

"What the fuck, Beca?!" Stacie punched Beca's arm as she yelled at her.

"I'm sorry, I was scared!"

"So you throw it at me?!"

"It wasn't on purpose!"

"Do you think it's hurt?" Chloe asked softly, creeping forward.

"Chloe! Goddamn it, do you always have to be so earthy?!"

"Yes, Beca I do."

"I think Stacie's boob was soft enough to cushion the impact." They all stared at the blonde. "What? Don't look at me like that, I'm right."

Beca gripped tightly onto Stacie's shoulder as they watched Chloe approach the bug.

"Aw.. guys look, it's kind of cute."

"Okay I'm done here. Come on, Chloe we're leaving." Beca called out to her as she waved the redhead to follow. "Let's go, Chlo!" She really didn't want to deal with the caterpillar.

"Well, we have to put it back!"

"No.. no we don't."

"Yes we do, Beca! It was eating the corn and we disturbed it and now it's in the middle of the dirt and I don't even know how far caterpillars can see! Can they see where the corn is? What if it just ends up going in circles and dies of starvation? What if a bird comes along and eats it? I want this thing to become a butterfly one day!"

"Okay, you guys have fun, we are not dealing with this shit."

Beca jumped when Stacie slapped her butt and winked at her. "What the fuck was that, Stacie?"

"You'll thank me later, Cap."

Her brows furrowed together as Aubrey quickly followed the taller brunette around a corner and out of sight.

Chloe was squatting, watching the insect wriggle in the dirt when Beca turned back around. She sighed before picking up a twig from the floor and squatting down next to the redhead.

"Damn, it's ugly."

"Don't be mean." Beca wedged the twig under the bug and easily brought it to a stalk of corn. They watched as it perked up on the leaf and stared back at them. "We saved a life today, Becs."

"Yeah, I guess so, even if it is ugly as fuck."

They high-fived each other before walking off and coming across another fork. "Where are we?"

"I don't know."

"Can you check the map?"

"We don't need it."

Chloe tilted her head, unconvinced as she rested her hands on her hips. "Beca, please just check the map."

"Fine, you want me to check the map? I'll check the goddamn map." Beca mumbled at the redhead as she patted her butt.

"Well?" Chloe waited.

The brunette squinted back. "Um.. you have it."

"I don't have the map, Beca."

"Don't lie to me."

"Look at me! I have no pockets!" Chloe twirled before looking at her in disbelief. "Do you not have it?"

"Heh.." Beca patted her pockets nervously. "Fuck!" She spun around a few times, searching the floor.

"What happened? Did it fall out?"

"No, it was.." Beca's eyes widened. "Sneaky little fucker."

"What?"

"Stacie!" Beca stepped past the redhead to yell into the air in hopes Stacie would hear. "Stacie! You fucking dick! You took our map didn't you?!"

It was quiet until they heard Stacie yell back from the distance. "It was an accident!"

"Fuck you! It'll be an accident when I murder you!"

"Have fun!"

She turned back to Chloe and huffed, red-faced.

"Why would she do that?" The redhead asked softly.

"I don't know! Damn it, we could be in here for hours. I should have brought some shrimp in here.."

"Okay.. we could still do this." Chloe grabbed her by the shoulders and peered into her eyes. "We got this, Becs."

"Mm.." The brunette shook her head. "It's not looking so good for us right now."

"Look we just have to go by instinct. We came in from the south, we just have to keep going north."

".. Lead the way then, Red."

"Don't worry, Becs. We got this!"

**One hour later.**

"It's fucking hot! Why the hell are we doing this in the middle of June?! I'm so sweaty! Chloe, I'm dying! We don't have any water! I want some more of that shrimp! It was so good! We could die here! And there's no reception! I'm not going back into the stalks of corn. We're going to die in here. I'm dying, Chlo. Help.. help me. Please.."

"My feet hurt, Becs."

Chloe was moving slower than before, her wedges dug into her feet every time she took a step. It was bearable three hours ago but now, she didn't think she could take the torture anymore.

"I'm dying and you're complaining about your feet?!"

"Hold on. I can't take these things anymore." Beca watched as Chloe slipped out of her shoes and hooked them on a finger. "Oh my god, look. My pinkie toe is bleeding."

Beca's eyes shot down to find that Chloe's toe was in fact bleeding.

She wrinkled her nose as she squatted down to get a closer look. "Holy shit.. um.. I have a receipt and a hair band in my pocket, we could like, wrap it up or something!"

"Beca, that's a terrible idea."

"Well, excuse me for trying to help." She crossed her arms, standing again.

"It's fine, don't worry about it."

"You shouldn't walk in the dirt, Chlo. That's an open wound. You could get it infected or you could get a splinter or step in poop or something."

"I'll be fine."

Beca bounced in frustration and her shoulders slumped. "No, ew that's-that's nasty, please don't, Chloe."

"I can't take these shoes anymore, Beca."

"Do you want to trade? You could wear my flats, I'll wear your wedges."

"Your flats are too small for me! I tried borrowing them once."

"You tried to steal my flats?!"

"Borrow, Beca! Borrow! Jesus, I would've given them back. You don't even wear those ones with the gold tips anyways. I don't even know why you bought them, I knew you weren't ever going to wear them, and I told you that when you bought them."

"I wanted to change things up for once! Excuse me for wanting a little more excitement in my life! And why would you need my flats anyways? You have a shit ton of your own flats."

"It would have looked really cute with my outfit! What, I can't borrow some of your stuff once in a while?"

"Okay, hold the goddamn phone! First it was just flats and now it's stuff. That's so general. What else have you borrowed?" She squinted at the redhead.

Chloe's eyes widened. ".. Wait are-.. Are you mad? Because if you're mad then I'll stop, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd care-"

"No, Chloe. I just want to know, because like a week ago, I thought I lost my eyeliner-"

"Oh, yeah.. your eyeliner is totally in my bathroom." Chloe smiled sheepishly.

"What?"

"What?! Cut me some slack, you always buy the best eyeliner."

"What else is in your bathroom?"

"I think it's just the eyeliner and.. oh." Chloe stared at the ground. "Um.."

"Chloe, just tell me."

"Your perfume."

"What? Why?"

"I use it as an air freshener."

"Chloe!"

"I'm sorry.. I thought you knew! Remember when I asked you if I could use it?"

"Yeah, but I thought you were actually going to use it!"

"I said I was going to use it for my room.. 'cause it still smelled like paint."

"I don't remember you saying that.."

"Don't you smell it whenever you come home from work?"

"I-Dude.. I thought that was just because I live there.. and that it lingered since I put it on every morning before work.. and haven't you ever heard of Febreze?!"

"I'm sorry."

"Man.."

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you've never borrowed any of my stuff."

"Okay, but whenever I use your stuff, you're there and I always put it back where it was."

"Well, I don't care because I'm happy to share."

"I'm happy to share too!"

"Are you? 'Cause you just made me feel really guilty about your perfume."

"Jesus Christ, Chlo. Look, I don't care if you use my stuff, just let me know where you end up leaving it, okay? So I don't need to go buy another one like the perfume and the eyeliner."

"Okay, deal.. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. That wasn't cool of me."

"It's okay.."

"Just so you know, you have permission to borrow any of my stuff. Whenever you want, okay?"

"Ditto."

"Okay."

"Cool."

"Great!"

"Awesome!"

"Fan-fucking-tastic!"

"Fucking-m.. Marvelous!" Beca screamed.

"Wonderful!"

Beca shook her head, smiling at the floor after she had ran out of words to counter. "I'm not doing this anymore-Okay?"

"Fine with me."

"So, what now?"

"We keep walking."

"You're not walking barefoot, Chlo."

"I'm not putting those wedges back on until I am out of this maze at least."

Beca nodded. ".. Okay. Survival mode activated." Chloe's brows furrowed together when Beca began to unbutton her shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"It's fucking hot, Chlo." She watched as Beca peeled off her shirt, and tied it around her waist. Beca stood there wide eyed with her lips pursed. Chloe couldn't help herself when she stole a glance at Beca's cleavage that was peeking out from her cami top. They were practically waving at her.

"Okay?" She squeaked.

"Come on." Beca squared her legs with her shoulders and patted her back.

"W-..what?"

"Hop on."

"No.. No! Beca, you're tired, it's hot. No. I'm walking. It's fine. I'll walk!"

"No, you're not walking. I'm running on pure adrenaline and anger right now. I'm hulking out right now. I can handle it. Do it! Let's go. I got this."

"Beca, you literally just got done complaining about how we're going to die in here."

"That was before I realized how satisfying it would be when I kill Stace. Now, hurry up."

"It's fine, I'll just put the wedges back on-"

"Just fucking hop on, Chlo. We're close to the exit, I can feel it. It won't be for that long."

"I'm wearing a dress.."

"Well, roll it up!"

"I don't-"

"Look, Chloe. Your feet hurt, you're bleeding. And I'm not letting you walk in the dirt. It's not like I'm going to carry you the whole way, I don't think I can, frankly. No offense. But if we're both going to make it out of this alive, then we need to learn how to depend on each other." Chloe chuckled at Beca's seriousness. "Come on, I'm trying to help. Let me help?"

"You really want to do this?"

"Just hop on, Chlo. You're crippled for fuck's sake."

"Alright, fine. You want to have your back sore for days after this? Fine with me! But do not come complaining to me about it tomorrow. You will get no sympathy from me!" Beca felt her whole body tense as Chloe rolled up her dress, exposing her very shiny legs.

"Are you sure about that?"

"No."

"That's what I thought." Beca giggled a little as the redhead shuffled awkwardly to her.

"Stop laughing."

"I'm not laughing."

Chloe hopped onto her back and her hands instantly went to grip her soft thighs after a quiet grunt escaped her lips.

"You sure about this? Last chance to back out. No one's judging you."

"When have I ever backed out of anything, Red? Just.. navigate."

The sun was a little lower in the sky, low enough for the stalks of corn to actually offer a bit of shade thankfully, and they had been singing to help pass the time. Singing, rapping, yodeling and everything in between to be more precise.

Beca was in the middle of a very intense rap verse when Chloe quieted down.

"Besides rapping the only thing I did good was scrapping! Until the end of time.." She bounced Chloe higher on her back to get her attention when she didn't take her cue. "Come on, Chlo. Help me out here.." She began singing, not bothering to wait Chloe in hopes the redhead would jump in when she's ready. "So take these broken wings, I need your hands to come and heal me once again. So I can flyy, until the end of time.." She frowned when Chloe didn't sing along. "Chlo?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay back there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Um, no?"

"Do you want to hear a joke?"

"Sure."

"Well, tough shit. I'm not a comedian." Beca grinned as she felt Chloe chuckle against her back. "But seriously, you okay?"

"No."

"Uh-"

"Could you let me down so I could look at you?"

"Oh yeah, sure."

Chloe quietly slid off the brunette and smiled before taking a deep breath, watching as Beca awkwardly work out the kinks in her back. "I think we need to talk, Becs."

Beca froze mid-stretch and met Chloe's warm gaze before slowly relaxing. "About?"

Chloe bit her bottom lip as her eyes instinctively softened in response to the sudden nervousness in Beca's voice. "A lot of things." She said softly.

Beca tensed, suddenly scrambling to find a way to avoid anything remotely serious. "Are you dealing drugs-"

"No, this is serious, Beca."

_Well, fuck._

"Um, is it about Aubrey? Because I see it. You know, the way she always looks so.. unsure of it all. Like she's just moving along, going with the flow. At first I was just going off what you were telling me but, I see it now."

"I told you.. I'm worried about her, Becs. Yesterday, she told me that she has to marry him. Like, what does that even mean?! She said 'It's better this way'. Who says that, Beca?! Nobody says that!"

"That's bullshit."

"That's exactly what I said! Why is she doing this?! She loves him but not enough to want to marry him. What the hell does she think she's doing?!"

"Okay, beb. Calm down, someone could hear you screaming-"

"No-this-" Chloe gestured to the air around her. "All of this is bullshit! We shouldn't be here, Beca! What are we even doing here?!"

"We're being supportive."

"This isn't something that we should support!"

"Okay, what are you going to do?! Quit on her? She needs you, Chloe. She'll come to her senses eventually, you just need to be there for her when she does."

"I don't know why she's doing this. Why is she doing this?"

"If anyone can answer that, it's you, Chlo."

"It's her dad.. isn't it?" Chloe nodded with a frown. "He likes Luke. And she hangs on every word that man says. And Luke, poor Luke. He loves her! And she knows he does, she pities him..This is just- I can't deal with this, Beca. There's too much going on. Nothing's happening but everything's happening."

Chloe tossed her shoes on the ground, kicking them flat, before rolling up her dress again and sitting on them.

"What do you mean?"

Chloe glanced up at her. Beca Mitchell, always a lost puppy.

"Nothing." She rested her head on the brunette's shoulder after Beca had settled herself beside her. "Aubrey's situation is not what I wanted to talk about."

"Oh, well what did you want to talk about then?"

Chloe lifted her head, and spun herself to face the brunette, grabbing Beca's hand to play with to distract herself from her heart pounding in her chest. ".. I hope you know you're my best friend."

Beca scoffed but quickly quieted down when they locked gazes again. "I thought Aubrey was your BFF." She mocked, resting her cheek on the fist of her free hand.

"Aubrey doesn't count. She's practically family at this point. But you're my best friend, Beca. It's.."

Beca watched the redhead stroke a finger along the lines of her palm. "It's?"

"It's.. different." Chloe smiled, rolling up Beca's fingers, one at a time, to form a fist. "It's different.. I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the bridal store.. and at the roller rink."

Beca tensed, she really didn't want to talk about the roller skating rink right now, what with her sweaty palms in the redhead's hands and Chloe using her soft voice to speak to her. It was too much for her to handle. Being alone with Chloe in a corn maze was beginning to look like a horrible idea. She prayed for an escape as she hesitantly pulled her hand out of the redhead's grip.

And Chloe cannot just change her mind about these things, it's just not fair. Chloe missed her window. She dropped it the night before like it was nothing and if Beca was being honest, she was still a little bit frustrated about it. Chloe can't just turn around and say that she wants to talk about it now. If Chloe wanted to talk about it now, then that's some tough luck. What could she possibly say now? That.. she feels the same way? Or that.. what Beca said crossed a line and that they needed to set boundaries.

"Um.. I'm not sure where you're going with this."

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure either. I'm just winging it." Chloe chuckled nervously.

This conversation could go either way, Beca thought. Chloe could smile and tell her she loved her and they could make out right here in this corn maze and tumble and roll around on the floor in heated passion, or she could laugh it off and tell Beca she has nothing to worry about and that they're 'homies' as she put it the day before, or she could tell Beca that what she said was inappropriate and that they couldn't be friends anymore and that she decided to bail on the lease because she's moving out tomorrow and they'll never see each other again. So Beca, being Beca, chose the obvious route, one that she's chosen time and time again; to absolutely not have this conversation.

And there is a God because she could swear she heard a voice approaching them.

"Uh.." She glanced around nervously.

Chloe blushed at the floor, not noticing the brunette who was planning her escape route. "Beca, Becs. Um, I swear this went better in my head five minutes ago-but.. like I said, you're my best friend and I would never want to do anything that would compromise that, but-"

"Wait." Beca held a finger up as she stood. ".. Do you hear that?

Chloe froze. "What?"

"It's Jessica.. I think." She turned towards the voice, leaving Chloe behind.

"Beca, where are you going?!" Chloe yelled, standing now.

"Just-.."

"Wait.. Becs, I'm trying to-"

"Jesus, Chlo, can you just wait for one fucking second?"

Chloe stared, watching Beca walk away and disappear around a corner.

Can numbness hurt?

She felt the tears forming in her eyes but quickly blinked them back when Beca returned with Jessica and Ashley.

"Chloe, trade! Now! Jessica has shoes. You guys wear the same sized shoes. Did you know that?"

The redhead forced a smile before trading her wedges for Jessica's socks and shoes."Thanks, Jessica." She grunted as she slipped them on. "I'll wash these socks before I give them back to you."

"No thanks, you can have them. I think we're almost out, I can hear Amy."

Beca dashed towards the nearest fork cried out when she spotted the rest of the bellas waiting for them at the exit. "Finally!"

Chloe followed quietly behind, her mind was scrambling as she watched the brunette run away from her.

"I thought I was going to die in there.. where the fuck is Stacie?! I'm gonna kill her! I'm going to strangle her to death!"

"They're still in there." Emily pointed back into the maze.

Chloe stared at Beca's back as the brunette spoke. She wasn't listening anymore. Beca had to know where that conversation was going, but she walked away. Chloe didn't think she could stand there anymore, or at least stand there and stay quiet. She was suffocating, fighting the tears back as she watched the girls laugh and joke about nothing. She needed a drink, some water maybe. She needed to leave. She needed to not hear Beca's voice right now, to not hear Beca's laugh that she usually could never get enough of. She quietly chuckled at herself.

Of course Beca walked away, she wouldn't be Beca if she didn't. Of course Beca ignored her. For Chloe to expect any other outcome would be ridiculous.

So, she laughed at herself again before gritting her teeth and walking off on her own towards the giant canopy, leaving Beca behind with the rest of the girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls don't hate me.  
> 2pac - Until the End of Time  
> Did I really just put a 2pac song in a bechloe fic? Yes. Yes I did. Fight me.


	24. "She's a Fuckin' Keeper"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~HO HO HO do i have a buttload of apologizing to do for last chapter. I'll make it up to you guys, i promise. have this chapter pls. if there are any typos, im sorry, it's 1am where i am and im exhausted. Just .. take this

Five days.

Beca could swear she hadn't seen Chloe smile in five days.

No, that's not true, she's seen Chloe smile plenty of times.

But it wasn't real.

None of it was real.

It started with Sunday evening.

Chloe disappeared in the middle of the day, avoiding her every chance she got. Beca had stood there at the exit of the corn maze for a total of two minutes until she realized the redhead had gone missing.

So, she looked for her. Despite wanting to avoid the redhead for her own personal reasons, she knew she had to look for her.

Their picnic table was where she found her gathering up her things. Beca didn't really remember much from that night other than Chloe subtly pulling away every time their arms even grazed against each other, or when she tried to get her to stop so she could figure out what the hell was going on only to have Chloe turn around and walk away from her again.

She decided not to push it after realizing that it was her on the thin ice. Chloe just needed space, she thought. So space is what she gave her. And she gave as much of it as she could, which was practically none at all, considering the circumstances. The four hour drive back home was as unbearable for Chloe as it was for Beca. Emily had sat in the front since Chloe had wanted to "take a nap", and although the younger girl bought it, Beca sure didn't.

They got home, everything was a blur. Beca had offered the loveseat for Emily to sleep on but because life had always been so unfair, their tiny couch was much too tiny for the "giant" person they were babysitting.

They fought, well, debated about it, Beca had offered to take the couch instead but Chloe wouldn't have it. Beca has a delicate back, and sleeping out here in the living room is "fuckin' scary.", so somehow, in all the mysterious anger that surrounded Chloe Beale in the past six hours, Beca had gotten invited into the redhead's bed for the entire week. Go figure.

Although, she kept her distance after Chloe had shook her head "no" at spooning. Which, Beca found to be extremely concerning.

"Go to sleep." was all Chloe said when she asked her why she was mad.

On to Monday.

Chloe was already gone from the bed when she had woken up the next morning after she instinctively reached out to cuddle Chloe in her sleep, only to grasp at the hollow space. And when she found the redhead, alone on the couch crying ever so quietly by herself, her heart sank. She would be lying if she said she didn't notice Chloe tense after she sat down beside her.

She asked what was wrong.

Of course she did.

But Emily was a morning bird that always got the worm.

And when she interrupted them with her bright morning smile, Beca realized there was money to be made. And Chloe was not going to talk to her anyways considering the look in her eyes.

That night, Chloe accompanied Emily to the mall.

Emily had asked her "what's the deal between you and Beca". And Chloe ever so cleverly avoided the question by pointing out the nearest froyo shop which did wonders to distract the younger girl.

Beca was alone on the couch when they had gotten back. She was asleep, curled under the tiny throw blanket that was meant only for decoration.

Although Beca protested to being moved "You don't want me sleeping with you" as she put it, somehow Chloe had convinced her to sleep in her own bed while Emily moved into her room.

It wasn't the same as sleeping with Beca but maybe that was a good thing.

Tuesday was the day Chloe decided to finally speak up, though, not the way Beca would have wanted.

The brunette thanked the Aca-Gods that Emily had gone over to Benji's place and wasn't there to witness their little spat because having her heart get torn out was not something she wanted a witness for.

Chloe was on the couch alone when she got home from work. And with Emily gone, Beca was feeling what most people would call "confident". Confident that they could sort things out now that they were alone. Confident that she could make Chloe happy again.

She dipped a toe, asking her what was wrong for what seemed like the hundredth time that week, and boy was the water hot because she had never seen Chloe look at her the way she did that night. She didn't even know how to explain it, it was a perfect blend of disappointment, hurt and a whole lot of "fuck you".

But she jumped in anyways.

And when Chloe tried walked away, she tried to stop her.

She was getting sick of the feeling of Chloe pulling away from her so she spun the redhead around and missed when she tried to reach for her hands to keep her close.

Chloe smiled at her as she backtracked into her room after Beca had asked "Where the fuck are you going". She barely remembered her reply, it was something along the lines of "Jesus, Becs, can you just wait for one fucking second?". Yeah, it was definitely that.

Wednesday was the day of Chloe's interview.

Beca had wished her a good luck regardless of the fight they were in.

Chloe dressed up, conservatively of course, and ran into Kelsey in the hall as she was leaving. She thought she was going to cry again when Kelsey asked her if it was date night, claiming she didn't understand those couples who pick each other up when they live together "Are you going out to get her flowers? You guys live in the same place, I get it, it's cute. But I think the extra effort is unnecessary. Maybe that's just 'cause I haven't met that person yet, right?"

And when Chloe stammered out a gut wrenching reply saying they were just friends, it was Kelsey's turn to blush. So she desperately changed the subject to Blue. Kelsey smiled sympathetically and played along. She claimed that Blue had "a little too much fun at the dog park, if you know what I mean." and that she tried to stop it from happening but the little rascals were done by the time she ran over. And Chloe smiled when Kelsey asked her if she wanted one of the puppies. Because of course she would want a puppy.

Chloe would absolutely die if she let her personal life interfere with her professional one. So, she nailed the interview and got promised a call.

Beca had felt a little worse than the redhead, being the receiving end of all the passive aggressiveness. So, she grabbed Emily, and dragged her to the grocery store for cake mix as an apology while the redhead was still gone.

Although Chloe hadn't exactly gotten the job yet, she was thankful for the gesture. And yes, the cake was delicious because she ate two pieces, but Beca was not getting off that easy. Cake, although a great surprise, was not going to fix them.

Thursday was the weird, unexpected break from all the frustration.

Beca didn't come straight home after work, which Chloe was a bit thankful for if she was being honest. Which, now that she thought about it, she was being painfully honest the entire week, not once stopping to think about what all her passive aggressive comments were doing to Beca.

Chloe had cleaned the entire apartment that day. She scrubbed the bathrooms until she felt like her gloves were going to dissolve from the bleach, she mopped the floors until her back ached like she should be in a retirement home, and she had wiped everything down at least three times until Emily had to hide the lemon scented disinfectant wipes from her. And even then, she was restless. She was exhausted but whenever she would even get close to falling asleep, thoughts of a certain brunette alt-girl would flash through her mind, pulling her into an endless cycle of sadness and frustration.

And Emily noticed.

So she talked with Emily. About all things Beca.

And Emily listened.

She told her how she told Beca she loved her at the roller skating rink and how Beca totally freaked out and how she thought it was cute.

She told her about that time Beca had kissed her one morning when she thought she was asleep and how "She didn't want me to know because that kiss was cute and warm, but Beca is not cute and warm, Beca is dark and sarcastic and a witty asshole.. but Beca is sweet and adorable and considerate and loving and funny."

And they talked about how they had almost kissed back in Rome, and how "Oh Em, you should have been there, it was beautiful!"

And they gushed, laughing and blushing about all the "little things" Beca did for her. From making breakfast for her despite not being a morning person at all, to making sure her seat belt is always on, and how they spoon every time there was a mattress available.

She ranted and yelled when she got to talking about the corn maze.

Emily had shrunk into the floor, watching Chloe get so red faced about it. Chloe kicked the cushions and flailed her arms as she angrily but passionately recounted the events about how Beca was such a coward, always shying away. "She left me! And she has the audacity to come and ask me what's wrong?!"

But Chloe listened when Emily spoke about the campfire at The Lodge of Fallen Leaves. And she smiled, maybe even cried a little, when Emily told it from her perspective. "Did you not see the look in her eyes? Did you not feel it?! Because even I felt it, and I was just a bystander. That whole campfire was just you two making up. The Bellas were literally falling apart because you two were fighting! It's you two, it's always been you two! Everyone else was just there. I was mad at Beca when I found out she was going out with Jesse, because what you two have is like the most real thing I have ever seen."

Yeah, Chloe definitely cried.

But being as stubborn as she is, she resisted. Using some pathetic excuse she thought of, saying she would look too desperate if she was the one to kiss Beca first.

In which Emily replied with a sympathetic smile and lecture she composed using bits and pieces of lectures she'd picked up from her mother. "And what's so bad about that?! There's no shame in being desperate for someone you love, Chlo. And you can't look me in the eyes and tell me that you aren't desperate for her. You are super desperate for her.. but that's perfectly okay! Because you're in love and that's what happens when you love someone! You're desperate for any piece you could get from them. It's crazy because I remember seeing them together and you were always there, so.. quiet, always smiling. You've stayed quiet for so long, Chlo. I don't think I'd be able to stay so quiet. But you let it play out. You waited for your chance.. and here it is. Because you can't wait any longer, what you have with Beca is not some petty crush that's going to go away just because you ignore it long enough. You need to hurry up before you both break. And I'd say, judging by the tension I've seen all week, that you're pretty close to breaking, if you haven't already."

And yes, she was thankful Beca wasn't there so she could have this girl talk that she so desperately needed.

Beca on the other hand was having a different kind of girl talk around the same time Chloe was bawling her eyes out.

She really didn't want to go to Jesse for this because "Do you think this is inappropriate?" "Fuck yes, I do." but The Bellas couldn't keep a secret if their lives depended on it, especially if it was gossip concerning their two co-leaders having feelings for each other.

And because Jesse isn't an evil asshole, he understood. And he listened.

And just like Chloe, she vented.

Reciting every single snide comment that was thrown at her so far. Getting angry and letting it out through grunts and curse words.

And she told him how Chloe wriggled her way into her heart. How she puts up a front with everyone except Chloe. And how Chloe could literally hold her hand for the rest of their pathetic lives and she'd be ecstatic.

They got to become arguing exes when Jesse got a bit jealous when Beca gushed about loving to spoon Chloe even though she was smaller. And how Chloe would always let her be the big spoon because being on the receiving end of cuddles was still something she was a bit uncomfortable with. And he asked why she had never spooned him but they had a laugh about it when Beca reminded him that she was "fucking gay! Did you forget about that?!"

She was thankful to be able to let off the steam that she was brewing for the entire week but she shrunk when Jesse lost his cool. "Beca! For fuck's sake! I've never hated Chloe. I see why you love her, I really do. She's a fucking keeper, I get it, and yeah I lost you to her but fuck you're breaking her heart, dude! She's been waiting for you for as long as I can remember but she's getting sick of it! She can't wait forever! She fucking loves you!"

And then she cried too but even then he didn't stop. "When has she ever not been by your side? Can you answer that? Performances, outings, auditions, karaoke night, whenever we would go clubbing together.. She's always by your side! And when she's not, then she's always asking where you are.. She's always dancing with you! She's always singing to you! She's always  **looking**  at  **you**! How much time have you wasted already? Just kiss her already."

So she rushed home.

But Chloe was already asleep by the time she got back.

And now, here she is, on Friday, watching Chloe drive that dreadful four hour drive to that damn motel again for Aubrey's bachelorette party, while Emily slept in the back seat.

And Chloe had seemed in a better mood since morning, that, she had Emily to thank for, but she didn't know.

"Becs."

"Hm?"

"I spoke to Kelsey the other day."

"..And?"

"Blue's pregnant."

Chloe had never seen Beca swing her head so fast, she was surprised she didn't pull a muscle. "Shut up."

"Serious."

"Wh-"

"She asked if we wanted one of the puppies."

"Shut up!" Beca perked up and jerked closer, hesitating to grab Chloe's arm in excitement.

"Beca-"

"You're lying."

"I'm not." Chloe smiled at her. "What do you think? You want to be moms with me?"

"Wait-wait-wait.. A puppy? Are you sure we're ready for that kind of commitment and responsibility?"

"Yes."

"You're totally right, what am I thinking? A puppy?! Oh man.." Beca bounced her leg anxiously. "Did she say when she'll give birth?"

"No, I just found out the other day. But I looked it up and dog pregnancies usually last around three months. So, somewhere between now and three months, we'll have a puppy. Oh my God, I'm so excited!"

Beca squinted at her, trying to figure out why Chloe actually seemed like herself today but the redhead kept her expression all smiles. And although Chloe was happy about the puppy news, she was shoving down the last bits of anger she still had left. It was a skill she learned from Beca herself in the early months of their friendship. Beca looked cute, peering at her from the corner of her eye, so it made her smile a bit easier even though it was Beca who got her angry in the first place. She was grateful for the relief when Beca looked away after her phone dinged.

"..You want me to check that?"

"Yes, please."

Beca snatched the redhead's phone from the cup holder and quickly swiped the lock screen pattern.

"Email. From a Linda bla bla-"

"Penton? She's from the school I interviewed for." Chloe reached over to grab the phone but Beca quickly slapped her hand.

"Hey, I'll read it. Keep your baby blues on the road. Okay? But before I do.. just-like know that if you didn't get it, that there are plenty of other opportunities, okay? And you could seriously do anything you wanted, you just gotta keep going, you know? And if they're not going to hire you, then fuck them, they don't deserve you anyways."

"Yes, Beca. Thank you, but you can stop trying to comfort me now."

"Okay, I'm pretty sure you got it though." Beca took a deep breath before reading the message. "Ms. Chloe Beale, bla bla not important.. words, more words.. um. Oh look, it says she tried to call but you didn't pick up. Nice going, Chlo!"

"I didn't get anything.. just-hurry up, please."

"Okay.." Her eyes quickly skimmed the email looking for the right words. "Okay here we go, um.. skills bla bla very promising.." She hesitated. "But we.. regret to inform you-"

"I didn't get it?!" Chloe snatched the phone out of Beca's grip before dropping it in the crack of her seat. "Damn it!" She stuck her hand in the crevice as Beca held her head in a panic.

"Stop! I was reading it. Oh my God! Stop! You could crash! Chloe! Two hands! Ten and two! Eyes on the road! Chloe! Chlo!"

Emily jumped up and started to scream at the top of her lungs in the back seat, she clenched tightly onto the pillow before blinking a few times and frowning.

"What the heck is going on?!" The younger girl yelled. "I thought we were going to die!"

"I didn't get the damn job?!" Chloe gritted her teeth, her arm was elbow deep in the side of her seat. "Where the hell-"

"You got it! Jesus! You got it! Would you just stop!"

Chloe froze. ".. What?"

"They're not stupid, Chlo! It is a school after all. Of course they hired you!"

"But you-"

"I was messing with you!" Beca pulled Chloe's hand out of the crack and softly placed it back on the steering wheel. "Oh my god. I've never regretting doing anything more in my entire life. I'm driving back! You're fucking nuts. I hope you know that. You're fucking killing me, Beale."

"Beca.." Chloe gripped her shoulder tightly with her free hand but kept her eyes on the road. "I got it?"

"Yeah, you got it." They smiled widely at each other, letting the shock set in. "You fucking got it, Chlo."

"I'm no longer an unemployed loser?! This is monumental!"

"You got a job and we're going to get a puppy.. I think this calls for celebration."

 

* * *

 

"Tonight we eat and drink like the queens we are!" Chloe yelled at the ceiling with her best British accent as she stood firmly on the corner of the motel bed while Beca jumped up and down behind her with her thumb plugged in the rim of the bottle of wine they got from the BevMo across the street. They were already pretty tipsy so maybe that was why they didn't notice Emily sneaking out of the room to bunk with Stacie and Amy.

"Motels don't exactly have room service, Chlo."

"No, but there's a vending machine full of candy bars out there." Chloe's brows bounced up and down playfully.

"Okay, but you get 'em." Beca jumped into the air and fell onto soft pile of pillows and comforters.

"You get 'em."

She looked up at the redhead who towered over her with her hands on her hips.

"You're the one who wants them, Chlo." She scoffed, offended that Chloe would even ask her to go after she was the one that suggested them.

"Shut up, you want them too."

".. Fine. Flip a coin." Chloe smiled and hopped off the bed. She returned a moment later with a quarter in her hand. "I call heads."

"No, wait. Let's make this interesting." Chloe deviously suggested.

"Damn it, it never ends well when you say that." Beca couldn't exactly help her curiosity, Chloe had never failed her before whenever she would want to make things 'interesting'. "What's the plan, Red?"

"Whoever goes has to strip down to bra and panties."

Beca squinted at her, trying to compose her rambling thoughts to form a coherent sentence. ".. What?! Why?! Why the hell would I want to do that? What could that possibly achieve?!"

"What's the matter? Scared?" Chloe grinned evilly.

"Yes! I don't want just anyone seeing my goodies. We're at a shady motel for fuck's sake. There's a BevMo across the street. That's a recipe for a skin suit with a bug tattoo! I'm not ready to die! Did you see the owner of this place?! He had a lazy eye! This is some serious serial movie cliché-"

"He did not have a lazy eye."

"Are you sure about that?"

"He-.. that's not relevant! Come on, Becs. Live a little."

Beca glared at her. Chloe's eyes were gleaming. She was happy, they both were, for the first time in days. And Chloe just got a job for fuck's sake. So how could she say no? But then again, how could she ever say no to Chloe?

"Fine. But I want tails now."

"Have it your way." Chloe flicked the coin into the air and caught it before slapping it on the back of her hand. Neither dared to look just yet. "No take backs. No wimping out."

"Never." Beca smiled.

They held their breaths and quickly glanced down at the coin after Chloe had uncovered it.

Tails.

"Oh, thank god! You totally brought this on yourself." Beca huffed as she clutched her chest. "No take backs! No wimping out!"

"I know what I said." Chloe stood on the bed and pulled off her shirt.

Beca tried not to blush but her blood was rushing everywhere. She laid there staring up at Chloe's almost bare torso. Her skin looked really smooth, she thought.

"Anyone ever tell you that you got a weird looking belly button?"

"Aca-scuse me?!" Chloe's eyes shot down to her belly button.

"It wasn't an insult.. I'm just saying. It's like half an innie and half an outie. Wait, no. It's like, not an outie but it almost is. I don't know."

"Is that weird?" Chloe's head slightly tilted to the side, Beca never noticed how cute she was when she did that.

"No, it's just different.. I don't know, I like it."

Chloe's heart jumped, she was surprised Beca didn't notice with her being shirtless and all.

"Oh, okay." She squeaked through her suddenly dry throat.

"I mean, look at mine." Beca pulled up her shirt to show Chloe her belly button. "I know you've seen it before but.. in case you've forgotten what it looks like. It's just an innie. That's pretty boring, I think." Beca poked her navel with a single finger before smiling up at Chloe.

"I don't think it's boring." Chloe quickly hopped off the bed and unbuttoned her jeans, afraid Beca would see her blushing.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't need to prove anything to me, I already know you're a crazy psycho." Beca followed the redhead to the door.

"No take backs, no wimping out."

"Yeah, but I mean.. serial killers, Chlo."

"If anything happens, grab my pepper spray and come save me."

"You got it."

Beca went to the window and glanced outside. The coast was clear. She turned back around to find Chloe already undressed.

She was matching.

Red, like her hair.

Beca's breath caught in her throat and she stammered. "Um..- shoes. You should put on some shoes."

"Right."

Beca tried not to stare at Chloe's chest when the redhead bent over and slipped on her Nike's. "Watch out for mosquitoes."

"Thanks for the tip." Chloe winked at her before swinging the door wide open and striding out.

Beca watched her from the doorframe. The vending machine was only a few doors down so she could see it from their room.

"Kit kats!" She yelled at the redhead who responded with a thumbs-up. She bounced on the balls of her feet nervously. She wondered how Chloe seemed so calm, standing there half naked, outside a motel for anyone to see. "Hurry up!"

"It's going! Hold on!" Chloe blushed, she knew Beca was watching her and she loved it. She thought she was looking damn good too judging by her reflection on the vending machine. She wanted to take her sweet time and nothing was going to stop her. She pressed each button with extra effort, and she made a show of bending over each time to retrieve all five candy bars from the machine.

She was making her way back when she noticed Beca taking a selfie of them from the doorway. She quickly struck a pose, holding the chocolates close to her chest and giggled.

"You're fucking nuts." Beca shook her head.

They both jumped when they heard a door open from a distance. Chloe quickly dashed into the room, but not before briefly but awkwardly making eye contact with none other than their dear Tasmanian friend Fat Amy.

"Oh crap." She tossed the candy bars onto one of the beds as Beca slammed the door shut behind her. "Beca, that was Amy."

"Oh damn."

"Oh shit."

"Oh fuck." Beca chuckled. "Whatever, fuck it, we don't need to explain anything to her. Let's eat." She rolled onto the bed and unwrapped the first candy she got her hands on. Chloe crawled onto the bed and laid herself down beside Beca. "Um.. You're not putting your clothes back on?"

"Oh yeah.." Chloe reluctantly pushed herself off the bed again and tossed on her shirt without even bothering with her pants. She returned to Beca's side and grabbed the chocolate out of the brunette's hand. It was already missing a chunk from one of the bars but she didn't care.

"Why are you always taking my food, woman?!" Beca raked another candy bar from the bed as she glared at her.

"Cause.. I don't know. You grabbed the only kit kat. Cut me some slack."

"Do I look like a tailor?! If you wanted another kit kat, you could've gotten your own."

 

* * *

 

"You got a job!"

They were jumping on the motel bed again, hand in hand this time. They had drunk most of the wine already and finished all of the chocolate a long time ago. Chloe watched Beca down swig after swig and she was a bit impressed if she was being honest.

"I did!" Chloe let go of Beca's hand to leap onto the other bed. She smiled when Beca followed her. Again she jumped onto the opposite bed and again Beca followed. "And we're gonna get a puppy!"

They chuckled as they leapt, giggling each time one of them tumbled, and catching each other whenever they could.

They were both tired after just a few leaps, and they were getting a bit sloppy with their jumps.

Chloe panted with her hands on her hips waiting for Beca to hop over.

Beca took a step back before vaulting herself carelessly onto the other bed. Chloe knew she was going to fall judging by the flailing limbs and the look in Beca's eyes, so she stepped in front of her and easily caught the brunette into her arms. It would have ended at that if they weren't so exhausted and drunk that they were dragging their feet. Chloe felt her heel snag on the blanket she assumed Beca was standing on, and her eyes widened as they both tipped over.

Beca had always been in love with Chloe's arms. She knew Chloe could probably lift her if she wanted to. And unlike Beca, Chloe is not clumsy. She's actually pretty coordinated, even when she's drunk. So, it's not surprising how fast and tightly those arms wrapped around her during the plummet. Somehow, in all the momentum and scrambling feet, Beca had found herself falling backwards with Chloe on top of her. They landed halfway on the bed before slowly sliding down to the floor from their combined weight. Beca shut her eyes in anticipation for her head to hit the floor when they stopped, halfway there.

She opened her eyes to find Chloe's arm propped on the floor, holding them both up, upside down.

"Chloe.."

"Yeah?"

She watched Chloe's face as it got more red with each passing second. "You stuck there?" She slurred.

"Kind of.. if you let go of me, you're going to hit your head."

"Just.. get up."

"I can't, we're too far down."

Beca shook Chloe's hair out of her face when a few strands tickled her nose. "Then lower us down, maybe?" She gritted.

".. Right. But-" Chloe strained. "We're heavy."

"So.. Maybe do it now? Before your arms give out?" Beca clung tightly onto Chloe's waist, afraid to fall.

"Yeah.. Okay." Slowly, Chloe bent her arm at the elbow, cautiously letting gravity lower them to the floor. Chloe wrinkled her nose, trying hard to ignore the ache in her arms as she felt them start to shake. But this was like an upside down push up with two people. Chloe lifts, but not this kind of lifting. She cursed herself when her arms gave in and she dropped to her elbows. The thud of Beca's head on the floor made her feel quite guilty but she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips.

"Ughh.." Beca groaned, releasing the redhead from her grip to cradle her head as the rest of their bodies sunk to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Chloe giggled, trying to push Beca's hands out of the way so she could look at her. "I'm so sorry. I tried, I really did."

"Why do I always get hurt?" Beca whispered as Chloe giggled into her neck.

"Are you okay?" Chloe pushed Beca's hair out of her face after pulling back to look at her. They were both still panting.

"Yeah." Beca's eyes shot open when Chloe pushed herself up and straddled her waist for a split second before standing. She almost forgot that Chloe still didn't have pants on. After taking Chloe's hand, she pulled herself up and stretched her back. "I might have a conclusion though, no biggie."

"You mean concussion?"

".. What did I say?" Beca slowly blinked.

"I-I don't remember.."

"Hey, where did Legacy go?"

Chloe glanced around the empty room. "I dunno.."

"Sk-skin suits!" Beca held her head. "She's dead.. isn't she?!"

"No, she can't be, she's just playing hide and seek, probably!"

Beca blinked once-twice before dropping to the floor and searching under the bed. "Legacy!"

"No! She can't be under the bed!" Chloe yelled. "Shh! She's under the blankets!"

"But we were just jumping on the beds-"

Chloe interrupted her as she screamed and flopped onto the mattress. She laid there, unmoving when she realized Beca was right. "Um.. She's in the closet!"

"There's no closet here.. we should probably sleep on it, I'm getting tired."

"That's not a good idea.. Maybe she's in the bathroom! I gotta pee anyways. I'll be right ba-ack. Don't move." Chloe hiccupped before dragging herself into the restroom, not bothering to completely shut the door behind her.

Beca nodded as she downed the last of the wine from the bottle and have her a wobbly thumbs up as she crawled onto the bed.

"She's not in here!"

"Maybe she went to hang out with.. the other people.. what are their names again?"

"Who?!"

"She's probably fine- I'm going to pass out now if that's okay with you!"

"Knock yourself out."

There was a long beat before they both started laughing uncontrollably.

"That's funny.." Beca stared at the bottle in her hands before mumbling quietly. "That was funny, right? Hey, you're my friend.." She squinted at the label. "Right?.. B-Beringer? Hey," She whispered against the glass. "You're cool, I was having a bad week an-and you made me feel a little better.. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pass out in a little but do-do you want to know a secret before I do? As a thanks? I'm- like.." She panicked when she heard the toilet flush. "I like Chloe.." She giggled at the thrill of saying it out loud with Chloe in the other room. "I like her, like a lot.. a lot, a lot. She's fun.. and I really like her. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm pissed about this past week. She was an asshole, but she was just sad, you know? I don't know why but she was.. And was making me sad too. But she seems happy today so.. I'll take it.." She heard the water turn on and spoke quickly after glancing at Chloe through the crack if the door. "You're not homophobic, are you, Beringer? Yeah, of course you're not. I'm sorry I even questioned you. But it's good you're not, because.. I'm like really gay, dude. And sometimes I think she likes me too but then I'm like, no that's crazy! But then I get sad and that's where you show up." She heard the sink turn off but Chloe didn't come out so being in her drunken state, she kept talking. "And you're cool, you're great company, but I can't have you around all the time. I gotta stop running, B. Can I call you that? Yeah, right? We're friends. I have to stop running away from her and start running towards her. Yesterday, Jesse told me to kiss her.. which- I want to! I'm pretty sure I've wanted to kiss her for as long as I can remember now that I think about it, but when I'm talking to her up close it's like I freeze-all the time.. I'm a wimp, I suck.. I'm not sure if I could do it but I like her, so you know, I think I'm at least going to try to do something.." She took a deep breath, tracing her finger along the rim of the bottle. "Yeah, I'm gonna fucking do it, B. I'm gonna kiss her. But not when I'm drunk like this because I want to remember every second of it. I wanna know what her mouth tastes like. And I wanna know what her lip feel like against mine and how her face smells up close- is that weird? B, you'd tell me if I was being weird, right? Whatever.. It's gonna be great, I'm calling it right now. I'll tell you all about it, I promise.." She closed her eyes, feeling them get heavier with each passing second. "I think I love her, B. Like love-love. Like, not best friend love. Not first month of dating, honeymoon phase love. Like, I want to take her home on the holidays. I want my family to know who she is and I want her to be friends with my cousins even though I don't even really like them myself. I want- I want her mom to tell me everything there is about five year old Chloe. And I want to see her baby pictures and I want to know all her aunts and uncles and relatives by name, and I want them to like me even though I'm a girl. And I wanna.. I wanna know every embarrassing story she has and I want to be able to kiss her when she looks at me the way she does.." Her head dipped but she quickly blinked herself awake. "Chloe, man." She slurred. "Chloe Beale. She's a fuckin' keeper.. She's wife-worthy. I know, crazy right? But what am I thinking?" She yawned after an impressive burp that almost threatened to become something more. "We haven't even kissed yet. And I'm sitting here thinking about her being wife-worthy. I'm going crazy, what do I do, B? But honestly, my mom would be so proud of me if I brought Chloe home. I mean, I'm sure she'd be proud if I brought anyone home, let's be real, but.. she'd be extra proud if she met Chlo. They'd like each other, you know? I can see it now, I'd be the third wheel. I'll act like I'll hate every second of it but they'll both see right through me.. They'll kick me aside, prob- probably.. on second thought, maybe that isn't such a great.. idea.." Beca slumped over, having passed out from intoxication, hugging the empty bottle close to her chest.

Chloe definitely would have ran out of the bathroom to kiss her if she absolutely didn't have to vomit right about now.

She crawled for the toilet-because Beca's words had caused her to sink to the floor- but kept her face at a safe distance from the seat, what with it being a motel toilet and all. And she gagged, puked, threw up, praying it would be over soon so she could run out there and tell Beca all there was to tell her before the brunette fell deeper into unconsciousness. And she held her own hair back with an elbow propped on the seat as she spat out the bitter taste of vomit from her mouth. But this wasn't good, the fact that Beca wasn't rushing in here to help hold her hair back probably meant the brunette was incapacitated.

Chloe shot out of the bathroom after finally composing herself and finding her balance.

She jumped on the bed Beca was passed out on and grabbed a pillow. She was surprised she didn't pass out at the toilet, let alone now. Maybe it was her heart pounding through her chest that pushed her along.

"Beca!" She yelled. "Beca, wake the hell up!" She swung the pillow down on Beca's unconscious face like an ax to a log, and yelled again after grimacing at the brunette's lack of reaction. "Beca! Jesus Christ, are you dead?!"

She fell to her knees and cradled Beca's face, causing the brunette to shift slightly.

"Beca, wake up!" She dropped Beca's head before shaking the brunette's shoulders. "Oh my God!"

"Wha-" Beca breathed out through her slacked jaw. "Hmm, Leggy you're back.. Shh.. Don't-no, don't tell Chloe.. Leggy." She mumbled.

"Leggy?! I'm Chloe, you idiot! Wake up!" Chloe leaned in closer in desperation. "Please.. Beca, wake up so I can kiss you, goddamn it!"

Beca drunkenly smiled with closed eyes but her expression quickly relaxed as she passed out again.

"Beca, beb. Beca!" She sat back on her heels and dropped her grip, staring at the tiny alt-girl who was now lightly snoring. ".. I hate you so much right now. Why did you bring that wine?! You lightweight! You idiot! Why do you walk away if you wanted to kiss me?! You're like a-.. a little bundle of denial and contradictions! And it sucks! I hate you! Wake the hell up so I can kiss you, Beca!" She slumped onto her side to lie down next to the drooling girl after realizing waking Beca up was a lost cause. She smiled sweetly after a long pause, feeling more confident than she did all month as she brushed the sweaty strands of Beca's hair out of her face.

".. We're totally going to make out tomorrow, I promise, or so help me I will murder somebody. Once I wake up, I will not rest again until your lips have touched mine.. I will kiss you, Beca."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW YOU HATE ME FOR ALL THESE CLIFFHANGERS AND IM SORRY I JUST NEED A BIT MORE TIME TO WORK ON THE KISS. meet me back here on Christmas Eve for the next, not one but, two chapters. it's gonna be real fun guys


	25. "What the Fuck is Happening?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all have no idea how good you have it. The angst last chapter was supposed to last for 3 chapters. but i threw that all out.  
> Before you read these two chapters, I highly suggest you snuggle the eff up because both of these chapters together make up like 21.8k words. (OMFG MAN IM DRAINED) Grab a blanket, get some hot cocoa, maybe some tea if you want. Enjoy.

Chloe woke with a start after hearing her phone ring from somewhere in the room. Her head pounded harder with each beat of her heart as the sunlight shot daggers into her eyes.

She would have gotten up if Beca wasn't wrapped around her like a monkey infant clinging to its mother.

It wasn't fair how much she had missed Beca throughout those five agonizing days. She didn't even realize it until now with Beca's arms holding her close. It isn't that surprising when she chose to ignore the call and let herself sink deeper into Beca's chest. She was satisfied when she felt Beca's arms constrict around her waist and across her chest.

Again her phone rang.

She pondered what could be so important that it couldn't wait for thirty more minutes.

That's when it hit her.

Her tired eyes shot open.

The bachelorette party.

 _Fuck_.

She ripped herself from Beca's grip and ran to her jeans that were splayed on the floor across the room, but fell to her knees when the pounding started again.

"What the hell, Chlo?"

"What time did we go to sleep last night?" She croaked. "Two? Three?"

"I don't know." Beca groaned into her pillow trying to hide from the sunlight that was burning her eyes.

The redhead snatched her phone from one of the pockets of her pants and picked up without bothering to read the caller id.

"Bree?" She squeaked out of her dry throat. "Oh my god, I didn't brush my teeth last night! That's disgusting.. I still taste vomit!" She gagged a few times, before frowning like she was going to cry about her poor hygienic state.

"Think again, Gringa! Boy, do we have a lot to talk about today! Did you have a long night? Because we're leaving in thirty and I really hope you're not going to be late 'cause I'm really excited for the chat we're going to have."

"Amy, did you tell-"

"What is there to tell, Chloe?"

Chloe hesitated. "I-.. You saw-"

"What did I see, Chloe?"

"Do not play dumb with me, Amy. Not right now."

"Oh, you mean last night? What was it? I think it was you.. in your lingerie-"

"Amy, no-"

"Yes, that was it! And Beca was there! I heard both of your giggles-"

"Oh my God."

"You know what? Can you just hurry up because I'd much rather have this conversation in person so I could see the look on your face-"

"Nothing happened."

"Sure, okay! I totally believe you." Amy took a breath. "You wish!"

"Amy-"

Chloe groaned when the line went dead.

She glanced back at Beca who had already fallen back asleep.

"Beca get up, it's.." She glanced at her phone. "It's noon, beb."

"No."

"Come on, you can do it. We got a long day today."

Beca groaned as she stretched; reaching for the headboard and arching her back. "Wait, who was that on the phone?" Beca questioned, curling onto her side so she could see Chloe at the end of the bed.

"Amy."

Beca frowned. "Man, out of all the people who could have seen you in your lingerie last night, it had to be Amy. The universe is cruel."

Chloe grinned in response, remembering what had happened the night before.

Beca Mitchell is totally in love with her.

How could she be so blind before?

How could she ever even doubt it?

Today is the day.

The day she's going to tell Beca everything.

The day she's going to kiss Beca.

Or at least try.

The thought alone made her chest rise with excitement.

She stared at the brunette from across the room. Beca's hair was messy, sticking up on the left side, and one of her bra straps hung down her arm.

"Yeah but I mean, what is she even going to say right? That we-.." Chloe shrugged her shoulders, letting Beca interpret it how she wanted.

"Us? That's.." Beca coughed, suddenly red in the face. "Can you even imagine?" _Yes_. "That's.. crazy. We're- you're not even.. that's crazy."

Beca 'Crash and Burn' Mitchell.

"Yeah.. crazy."

Beca's eyes darted around the room nervously. Chloe was staring at her, in a v-neck and panties, along with that sly smile that made her think the redhead knew something she didn't.

She needed to change the subject and fast.

"We should get ready, Red. Big day today.."

Chloe nodded along with Beca. "You have no idea."

".. Okay?"

"Ready to party.. again?" The redhead clasped her hands excitedly before quickly regretting the decision to make any noise louder than a whisper.

"Please, not until I get an aspirin."

* * *

The girls had a late lunch at a cozy diner before heading over to Aubrey's and waiting for their party bus to arrive.

Chloe decided to avoid Amy until she could corner her in a louder space to convince her that nothing had happened last night, but that didn't stop the Tasmanian from shooting her suggestive looks here and there, along with a wink or two, some inappropriate hand gestures and furniture groping when no one was looking.

But Chloe wasn't exactly paying attention anyways, she was a bit busy trying to stay as physically close to Beca as she could. Her neck was starting to ache from constantly glancing at the brunette beside her. And she's glad she'd been a relatively happy person for her entire life, otherwise her cheeks would be sore from the endless smiling in response to Beca's confused smirk every time their eyes met.

Aubrey adjusted the tiara on her head, trying to find the perfect angle in the reflection of a picture frame before turning to Chloe who sat poised on the armrest of a recliner as opposed to a slumped Beca fiddling with her phone beside her. "So, What's the plan today, Chloe?"

"It's a surprise."

"Hold up, you mean to tell us that you asked us all to chip in for this party and you're going to put us all on a bus and take us to various undisclosed locations, that only you know of, and expect us to go along with it?" Cynthia Rose challenged, arms folded across her chest.

"Yes."

"Reminds me of how I got to the America!" Flo smiled. "Very fun times, I promise.. as long as you have your own, clean, water. That is very important."

"Sounds like my kind of party!" Amy offered with a loud clap that startled everyone in the room.

Beca rolled her eyes. "Any party is your kind of party."

"Not a swinger's party.." Amy dropped her gaze. "Wait, I take that back."

"Pretty sure you'll be the host." Beca chuckled as she glanced at her friends, noticing a certain quiet brunette who was sulking across from her on the corner of a side table.

Stacie lounged on the end of Aubrey's couch, brooding, spreading her tense aura with every breath she took. Everyone stared at her once Beca made it clear who she was staring at after she very loudly cleared her throat.

Beca couldn't be more frustrated with Stacie, she hadn't been herself since the trip to Rome and Beca was sure she wasn't the only one that noticed. She thought it was about time for her to fess up, especially since all their friends were there if emotional support was needed for some reason.

"Stacie.. you okay there?" She asked softly, careful not to push any buttons. Her brows knitted together when Stacie glanced at Aubrey before smiling back.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know? You've been a little quiet, that's all. I mean, we're supposed to be having fun here, if anyone should be sulking in the corner, I think we could all agree that it should be me, the grumpy asshole, but here I am actually enjoying myself while you're over there moping like some sad puppy. And I feel like you've been moping since, I don't know, a while? So are you going to tell us what's-"

Chloe jumped up from her seat, interrupting Beca in the process.

"Bus is here!" She grabbed Beca's hand and dragged the brunette out the door but pulled her aside as the rest of the girls darted off towards the bus. She leaned in close and whispered to Beca, eyeing the rest of the bellas in the distance. "There's something happening here, Beca."

".. Could you be any more vague?" Beca rested her hands on her hips, waiting for her to elaborate. "Please tell me you're talking about Stacie because I am so done with this shit she's pulling."

"Aubrey and Stacie-both of them! Do you think Stacie had a thing with Luke?"

"Whoa dude-wait, what? Where did that come from?"

"Think about it! They're both drop dead gorgeous, I'm sure they had to have known each other before Aubrey came along, I'm pretty sure they hang around the same type of people. You know? Clubs.. and hot people. Hot people know each other right? They meet at nightclubs. That's what hot people do."

"What?!" Beca shook her head trying to process everything Chloe was saying. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Do you not see it, Beca?! In Rome, at the bar she was acting super weird after we told her Aubrey and Luke were getting married and since then she's kinda been an asshole to everyone every time we would hang out together." Chloe spoke quickly, knowing the girls would get suspicious soon. "At the dress fitting she was being-"

"At the dress fitting she basically told Luke to fuck off, why would she-"

"I don't know! Because she loves him?! And she hates him for leaving her? I don't know! But something isn't right here, Beca."

"No, no, no, that makes no sense, Luke never mentioned having anything with Stacie. Plus, Aubrey and Stacie get along just fine, don't you think they would hate each other if that was the situation?"

"Sisters before misters?"

"That's funny, Chlo." Beca scoffed. "Everyone says that but no one practices it."

"The Bellas do!" Beca squinted at her as she stepped closer. "Look, there's something going on here, Beca-"

"Guys! Clock is ticking! Can we move it along maybe?" Ashley yelled from the bus. Everyone was pressed up against the window staring at them.

"Help me keep an eye on her today?" Chloe pleaded with her big blue eyes that Beca could never resist.

"Which one?" Beca sighed.

"I'll watch Aubrey, you can watch Stace. We'll-I don't know, report our findings once we get back to the motel."

".. Sure." Beca shrugged. "Sounds so much more fun than actually enjoying a bachelorette party."

"Thanks, beb. You're the best."

"Don't I know it."

"And don't worry, we'll have fun today. I promise."

Beca trailed behind as they made their way onto the bus.

"Where's the bride to be?" Chloe questioned after noticing the bus lacked a certain blonde.

"She and Stacie are still in the damn house." Amy hollered from the back of the bus.

Chloe's eyes shot to Beca's and they quickly dashed off the bus again. They strode back into the house, cautious of what the rest of the girls would think if they ran.

"Can you just stop?!" Aubrey's voice sounded desperate as it bellowed out of the front door.

"Why the fuck did you ask me to be a bridesmaid?! Did you want to shove this in my face? Is that it? Or did you want an excuse for me to be here? Tell me why I'm here! Am I supposed to smile and wave or am I here because you want me to convince you to not go through with this?! Do you realize how fucked up it is that you asked me to be here? You're fucking me over. And Luke too!"

"Still think they get along just fine?" Chloe mumbled as they rushed into the house. They stopped in their tracks after finding the two still in the living room. "Guys?" Chloe nervously interrupted. She held her ground when the two glared at her. "The girls are waiting.. Is everything okay?"

Stacie forced a wide grin at the two who cautiously stood in the hallway.

"Everything is fine! Isn't that right, Aubrey?!" She turned to the blonde. "Well, not in this instance but maybe if you keep telling yourself that, it'll become true.. I mean, that's what you've been doing for like three fucking years, so why stop now, right?"

Beca stepped aside as Stacie strode past them and out the door.

"Bree? What the hell was that?" Chloe asked after finally stepping into the room.

"Stacie Conrad, everybody! That was.." Aubrey dropped onto her couch and rubbed her temples. "Stacie Goddamn Conrad."

Chloe nodded when Beca quietly excused herself to give the two some privacy.

"Are you finally going to talk to me now?"

"We don't have time." Aubrey stared down at her feet. "There's no time."

"We should talk, Bree. You need someone to talk to."

"We can't, they're waiting for us-"

"Well, they can wait a little longer!" Chloe was losing her patience, which was a rare thing to occur. Very rare considering she still hasn't confessed her feelings to Beca yet after four years. She's very patient, usually. But Aubrey being practically her family and avoiding this conversation that absolutely needed to happen, pushed all the buttons she tried so hard to hide.

"We'll talk. And I promise I will tell you **everything**.. But we need to get through this party first."

Chloe glared down at her, it was the first time she's seen Aubrey break down like this; quietly and not puking everywhere. She hated it, but she couldn't exactly show her soft side if Aubrey still wasn't willing to talk about it yet.

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Fine.. Pull yourself together and hurry the hell up, I'll be waiting in the bus."

Chloe huffed when Aubrey nodded. She was already leaving when Aubrey spoke up again.

"Thank you." The redhead turned back around to meet her eyes and instantly, she felt a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach. "For.. dealing with my breakdowns."

They shouldn't be here. They shouldn't be going out to get drunk in celebration for Aubrey's soon to be married life if the bride-to-be was this broken and confused about it all.

".. One word.. and all of this could be called off, Bree. Just give me the word. I will stop it all from happening.. Let me help you. Just tell me to."

"Don't. Everything needs to go off without a hitch-"

"Without a hitch?! There's been loads of hitches already, Bree!"

"Well then, without anymore!"

She frowned, suddenly finding the courage from the anger fuming in her chest

".. You need to break it off with Luke. It shouldn't be this hard for you, Bree. It doesn't work like this. You can't force these things." Chloe shrugged at her before returning to the bus.

"Everything okay?" Beca whispered in Chloe's ear, glancing at Stacie who sat in the back of the bus beside Amy. The four girls had already put on their fake smiles for the rest of the group, pretending everything was fine when it truly was far from it.

"This party is supposed to be fun, but here I am having the most stressful week of my life.. I just want to go home, Beca.. Maybe take a nap, have some wine, catch up on some TV shows, eat some ice cream."

"Hey, you planned this shindig, it would look pretty bad if you bailed on it."

"I still don't even understand why we're here right now. We shouldn't be here, Beca. She doesn't want to be here, she doesn't even want to marry him." The redhead glared at Aubrey who was laughing at something Cynthia Rose said. Aubrey had always been good at forcing a smile. "Look at her. She's so good at faking it. I love her but I hate her. She's killing me. I could call all of this off you know?"

"You should loosen up, Chlo."

Chloe shook her head. "This is bull."

".. Yeah, I think you need to loosen up." Beca nudged her with a shoulder. "You need this weekend to not be a bust so.. don't let it be a bust, Chlo."

Chloe stared down into Beca's lazy eyes as the brunette slowly blinked at her.

"How are you so calm in all of this?"

"I'll let you in a little secret. I'm actually dying inside, I'm just really good at hiding it." Beca shrugged, happy to cause the redhead to chuckle even just a little in the mess that was Aubrey Posen's bachelorette party. "So what's first on your bachelorette party extravaganza?"

"What do you think?" Chloe grinned.

"Strip club?"

"Strip club." Chloe happily nodded.

"What about Em?"

Chloe averted her gaze from Beca to the younger girl who sat beside Flo.

"She's eighteen, they'll let her in. She'll have fun. If not, we'll have fun watching her reaction."

"I never pegged you for the evil kind."

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Chloe suggestively whispered before winking at her.

The strip club was nothing like Beca had expected. It was aptly named The Wild Wild West and unsurprisingly, everything was western themed, from the gritty floor boards to the saloon that served nothing but hard liquor. On the stage was a wall with a western styled building painted on it with 'JAIL' painted at the top of that and a pair of cafe doors at the bottom. In the corner of the club was a group of middle aged women, probably enjoying 'book club' a lot more now that they had a few new members. The music that hummed from the speakers was nothing but blues which Beca thought worked surprisingly well with the whole dirty, gritty vibe.

Emily had to get 'x's written on her hands and everyone teased her for it, of course they did.

"Ha!" Beca clapped her hands. "This place is so.. gross."

Chloe led the group to a pair of tables at center stage before grabbing Beca to get drinks.

"Anything?" Chloe asked as they waited for their drinks.

"Nothing happened yet, Chlo. Can you just calm down and let everything play out first?"

"I'm sorry- I'm just worried."

"I know you are but, nothing's happened yet other than her sulking when she thinks no one's looking." Beca shrugged, not surprised at the lack of progress. "And I don't think anything is going to happen with the girls here and all."

"You never know."

"Well, what about Aubrey? Hmm?" Beca pursed her lips and tilted her head expectantly.

"Nothing. She keeps side glancing at me though. It's making me nervous."

"Yeah, well now you know how I felt during my first year."

"Beca, trust me when I tell you I have known how you felt your first year.. You didn't know Alice. She was worse than Aubrey."

"Bullshit."

"Beca.. Why do you think Aubrey and I are so close? And why do you think I was always on your side when Aubrey was always having her freak outs? I sympathize, I really do.. I think Aubrey had just forgotten what it was like to be new to it all."

"Yeah, like how you forgot?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes. Like how I forgot. Now please stop bringing that up. Like I said, it was a dark time for me."

"Alright, fine."

Chloe thanked the bartender when she finished pouring their shots and pitcher of beer before leading Beca back to the tables. "We got alcohol!" She sing-songed as the rest of the girls cheered and clapped.

After a few hours of drinking and lap dances, most of the bellas were sufficiently drunk. And the table was littered with empty shot glasses, stacked into multiple glass towers that formed a wall that Chloe happily hid behind.

"Chloe." Beca called, trying to get the redhead's attention for the hundredth time that day.

"Chloe here, copy."

"You're drunk."

"Only a little bit, I'm tipsy.. topsy turvy, aye aye matey. Where's me treasure?!" Chloe giggled hysterically as she pounded her fist on the table, almost knocking over her glass fort in the process. "Come on, Beca! I just got a job!"

"We're supposed to be watching Stacie and Aubrey. What are you doing?" Beca quickly removed a tower of glasses from the wall so she could look at her.

"I am watching them. See? I'm-I'm watching Aubrey.. with me pirate telescope." Chloe plucked a shot glass from one of the towers and brought it up to her eye before leaning close to Aubrey's face and smiling widely.

"What are you doing, Chloe?" Aubrey questioned after Chloe leaned in a bit too close and almost fell out of her chair.

"I'm watching you! With me one good eye.. because I be a pirate." Chloe turned wide-eyed back to Beca and gasped. "Pirates have parrots because pirate spelled backwards is parrot!" She yelled, holding her head in her hands, mouth hanging open.

"No, it's not Chlo.." Beca shook her head trying hard not to laugh at her. It wasn't often that she got to witness Chloe this drunk.

She turned to Aubrey as Chloe continued to try to spell out 'pirate' backwards.

"You're not drinking.."

"Neither are you." Aubrey shrugged before taking a sip of her water.

"I feel like if I get drunk too, we might all do something stupid and end up killing ourselves. Someone needs to be sober. What's your excuse? This is your party after all."

"I don't feel like it."

Beca nodded understandingly before turning back to Chloe who was still struggling to spell.

"P-.. P-.. No.. no that's not right. P-.. P-"

"So, Aubrey's not drinking."

Chloe gasped and glared at the blonde.

"This party is for you! Where's the manager?! Bring out the big toys! Manager! Do it now!" Beca threw her hand over Chloe's mouth but quickly retracted it when the redhead licked her palm.

"Chloe! What-"

"Shh! It's all part of the big plan!"

Aubrey quickly turned to her. "What plan?!"

"Okay, I'm cutting you off. Water from now on, got it?" Beca waved Aubrey off as she pushed the pitcher out of the redhead's reach.

"No! Don't drink the sea! My men, they lost their minds to the sea! Good fellows they were, yes, darn good, indeed.." Chloe blinked slowly. ".. I'm gonna puke."

Beca quickly pulled the redhead by her arm and led the girl into the restroom. The redhead dashed for the nearest stall and was happy to find it unoccupied. Beca held her hair back and patted her back softly as she gagged. She grimaced at the sound of Chloe puking, it was horrible.

Chloe on the her hand, was happy to have most of the poison out of her system.

"You okay there?" Beca finally asked after the redhead spat a few times, trying to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth.

"Yep. Nope. Twice in less than 24 hours, that's a record. I'm disappointed in myself. I used to be better than this!"

"Sure you did, Red. Come on." Beca pulled her up by her arms before kicking the flush lever and leading her to the sink. "Rinse." Chloe obliged, taking a few swigs of clean water and spitting. "Here. I came prepared." The brunette held a mint to her mouth. Slowly, she leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the tablet and Beca's fingertips, pulling the mint out of Beca's pinched fingers with her tongue.

"Thanks, beb." Chloe tossed the mint around in her mouth teasingly.

"You good to go back out there?" Beca finally asked after a very long three second haze. A haze she was only snapped out of by the hollering of the bellas back in the club. She wiped her now sweaty palms on her jeans.

"What's a pirate if she can't handle her rum?! Nothing I say!"

".. Okay, Red. You're okay. Let's go." Beca led her out of the bathroom but stopped when she spotted Aubrey on stage. Wearing a sheriff's hat. In a chair. With a hunk of a 'sheriff' circling her, dragging his baton across her shoulders and up and down her thighs. "What the hell?"

"It's all part of the plan, Beca." Chloe breathed in her ear, making Beca glad she gave her a mint before they left the restroom.

The sheriff started to sing to Aubrey as they found their seats with the rest of the girls. Beca made good on her word, keeping her eyes on Stacie who was in the process of knocking one back.

"You fucking suck!" The long legged brunette shot out her chair and pointed an unsteady finger at the stripper.

"Stacie, what are you doing?!" Beca hissed.

"Shut up, Beca! He sucks!"

The man on stage turned around to face the drunk brunette as she yelled.

".. Whoa, there darlin'. How bout you sit your pretty self down and enjoy the show like your good friend here?" He politely asked, hooking his baton on the belt of his chaps before crossing his arms across his very impressive and very exposed pecs.

Beca was surprised he stayed in character, if she was in his place, she would have lost every bit of chill she had. Chloe seemed lost for words, still incapacitated from the alcohol still in her system, but trying to sober up judging by her already half empty glass of water.

"Are you seeing this, Chlo?" Beca whispered, scared to interrupt the show.

"You're seeing this too? I was beginning to think my water was spiked with something-"

"No! You fucking suck!" Stacie shouted. "I could do so much better and I haven't given a lap dance to anyone in like a whole month!"

Beca quirked a brow. A month doesn't seem that long ago for practice at lap dancing. She's never even given a lap dance to anyone before. But then again, this is Stacie Conrad.

"And I could sing better than you too!" Stacie didn't seem like she was going to let this one go.

"You really think so?" He dared, holding his scruffy chin a bit higher than before.

Stacie stepped forward. "Fuck yeah." She spat out.

".. Show me what you got then, girly." His deep voice echoed through the deadly quiet room from the speakers.

She glanced back at the rest of the girls, all speechless and frozen in their seats, before smiling at Aubrey who was fidgeting nervously in her seat on stage.

"Harrison!"

The man on stage held up his hand at who Beca assumed was the manager who stood, surrounded by a few other strippers. Beca thought he looked like a mob boss with his track jacket, although the half-naked men behind him made Beca chuckle a little at the sight.

"It's okay, Kirby. Let her do her thing. I wanna see what she says she got." He smiled as Stacie made her way onto the stage and slipped off his headset, handing it over to the drunk brunette.

"Go Stacie!" Amy hollered, breaking the tense silence. "Show him how you're supposed to grind on a proper lady!" She pulled out her phone and started to record the scene.

Stacie stood in front of a visibly nervous Aubrey, staring her down with the most subtle smirk Beca had ever seen in her life.

Beca could see words being exchanged but couldn't hear a thing until the music came back on.

"No, no, no. I can't do this with this shit music!" Stacie pulled out her phone and tossed it to over Harrison. "Put that on the speaker. Slow motion, Trey Songz."

He shook his head in disbelief before walking over to the booth where the manager stood.

"Honestly, what the fuck is happening, Chlo?" Beca whispered again.

"I don't know.."

Again, music started playing through the speaker.

Stacie sang for a while, teasing Aubrey with a brush of her finger across the jaw here and there, circling her and leaning over her to sing into her ear. Dragging her hands across her shoulders and lightly trailing her nails up and down her neck, and placing a single finger on the blonde's parted lips.

She returned to face Aubrey snagging the blondes hand and placing it at the bottom of her shirt. Telling the blonde to pull her closer without words.

Beca's eyes widened when Aubrey visibly but hesitantly pulled her onto her lap.

"What the fuck is happening? What.. the.. what the fuck?" She breathed out, glancing at the rest of the girls who sat there watching the scene unfold. "Are you guys seeing this? Am I the only sober one here? Is this registering in your guys' brains? Legacy? Legacy? Tell me this is happening for real."

"This.. is.. happening." Emily squeaked, peeking between her fingers. "For real."

**Baby, I just wanna get you out them clothes  
I just wanna see you dance in..**

Stacie's hips were thrusting in a different direction with each clap in the song. Beca had never seen anyone move like that, she had to admit, it was extremely hot. Suddenly everything was happening at double the pace, Stacie placed a hand behind her on Aubrey's knee and the other behind the blonde's shoulder, holding the chair for stability.

**Slow motion  
We can take, we can take, we can take our time, baby**

She was rolling her body, and grinding her hips against Aubrey's torso before leaning forward until their noses were practically touching. Again, she sang with the song, making sure to breathe a little harder in Aubrey's face.

**"Baby, why don't you make yourself comfortable  
While I go and put this tongue on you-"**

"Okay!" Aubrey yelled, placing her hands on Stacie's waist to stop all the movements and friction. "Okay! Stop. This is extremely inappropriate." She pushed the brunette away and stood, accidentally pushing the chair over onto the floor.

"Aubrey-"

Aubrey interrupted Stacie, not wanting to hear anything she had to say. "You are drunk, Stacie! We should leave this fine establishment." She turned to the manager. "Thank you so much for the drinks and the lap dance Mr. Harrison, here, did, It was.. pleasant, I guess?" She dashed off the stage, and Stacie followed.

"Stacie! That was aca-mazing, Jesus Christ, where did you learn how to do that hip thing?!" Amy asked excitedly.

"Um.. Amy! I'm kinda busy- Aubrey!"

The blonde ignored her, gathering her things and heading back to the bus without waiting for anyone to follow.

"Holy fuck!" Beca yelled, finally finding the right words to express her thoughts.

"My card is on file!" Chloe shouted as she led the rest of the girls out of the club.

* * *

"That really just happened?" Chloe sipped from her water bottle that she stole from the mini bar in the back of the bus. "I'm starting to think that Stacie didn't have a thing with Luke." She glanced between the two who were both silent in their seats at opposite ends of the bus.

"You think? If Aubrey didn't stop her, I think she would have finished with an orgasm-"

"Beca!" Chloe shoved her playfully. She was still a bit tipsy but the alcohol was surely wearing off. "I shouldn't have gotten drunk yet, I don't think I'm going to remember most of what happened."

"Amy recorded it."

Chloe's eyes lit up. "Thank the aca-gods for Fat Patricia." She joked.

"Yeah. I'd ask her to put it on Youtube if I knew Aubrey wouldn't kill me for it.."

"She totally would. And I don't think I'd be able to stop her this time."

"This time?"

"Mhm.."

"Okay, so what's next, Red?"

Chloe perked up. "So, Aubrey's dad is crazy, you know that. So, of course he's going to teach his daughter how to shoot a gun."

"What?" Beca blurted, suddenly afraid of the idea of Aubrey with a gun.

"You can relax.." Chloe smiled brightly. "We're going paintballing."

* * *

"CR." Aubrey tossed Cynthia Rose a green bandana as the woman came to stand next to her.

"Lilly." Chloe was surprised when Lilly caught her yellow bandana with her teeth.

Beca was offended at the fact that Lilly was Chloe's first pick and she didn't hide it. She glared at Chloe, mouth hanging open, feigning offense but smiled when Chloe mouthed a sympathetic 'sorry' to her.

"Flo."

"Beca." Second choice, not bad. Beca surprisingly caught the bandana and tied it on her upper forearm using her teeth, before adjusting her vest to let in some ventilation.

"Amy."

"Em." Chloe smiled, glad to have the last sober person on her team.

"Ashley."

"Stacie." Chloe figured Aubrey didn't want to choose Stacie anyways after what just happened, so what was the point of separating Jessica and Ashley? She frowned when the long legged brunette unsteadily shuffled over to their group. "You'll get Jessica because you're the bride and we'll let you have the advantage of an extra body. Though, it probably won't do you any good."

Aubrey grinned evilly. "You guys better be good at hiding because my trigger finger has been itching all month." She turned and her team followed happily.

The Georgia heat was unforgiving and the humidity of the setting sun had them sweating before they even got fitted into their gear. The scrap of car they crouched behind was warm at the touch and the thick summer breeze was disappointingly insufficient in providing temporary relief from the heat.

"Thanks so much for picking me first, Chlo. I really appreciate it." Beca forced a smile, waiting for Chloe to apologize profusely as she traced the barrel of her gun in circles along the dirt.

"Beca, come on, if I didn't choose Lilly first, then Aubrey would have and then they would've had this in the bag. We wouldn't stand a chance."

"Lilly's our secret weapon? Not me?"

"Yes. Okay guys huddle up!" Chloe smiled at the girls who quickly shuffled over. "Here's the plan, we go on the defensive."

"What? No!" Stacie crossed her arms defiantly. "I-I want to shoot somebody."

"Stacie, they're going to come over here, into our territory. We hide, we ambush, we win."

Beca smiled at Chloe's confidence.

"You sure Aubrey will be okay with that? It is her bachelorette party after all." Beca glanced at the rest of the team, waiting for them to agree.

"She wouldn't want us to throw it for her. She'll be fine as long as she gets to shoot somebody today." Chloe winked. "Okay, Em, you're the look out, go lay down on the top of that hill. You can snipe right? You always look like you're squinting so you should be able to snipe from up there." She pointed over to a hill behind them that had a very plastic bush on the top of it, it was like a toupee for mother nature. "Or you could just hide up there until the action dies down.. I'm pretty sure sniping takes a lot of practice and a special type of gun or whatever."

"Got it."

"Lilly.." Chloe frowned at the Asian girl and shrugged. "Do whatever you need to do, I trust you to win this for us."

Lilly nodded before scurrying off on her own.

"Becs, Stace, we stick together and hide, we'll ambush whoever crosses paths with us. Come on.. Em, get on that hill!"

"Aye aye, Cap!" Emily darted off as the three ran off to find a good spot for the ambush.

The blow horn sounded and suddenly it was on.

Beca leaned against a white concrete wall that was freckled with green and yellow paint as Chloe adjusted the bandana on her wrist. She didn't bother to ask if the redhead needed help before reaching out and retying the cloth for her.

"Thanks, beb. You look adorable in your helmet and goggles by the way."

"Do not try to play me right now. I'm still mad I wasn't your first pick."

"I'll make it up to you. Now focus, we need to win." Chloe glanced to her left at Stacie who stood across the way inside of a giant plastic tunnel that was also blemished with paint. They quickly gave each other a thumbs up before continuing to scan the area.

"Why should I focus if Lilly is our secret weapon? Lilly, our holy savior!"

"Beca.."

"I'm surprised that this is what we're doing now, we're going to have paint in our hair and then we're going clubbing? I'm assuming we're going clubbing. We are going clubbing right?"

"Becs, hush. It'll all work out."

Beca noticed Chloe was already sweating, her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and her neck glistened under the low sun.

"But we are going clubbing right? After this?"

"Do you think you get special treatment or something? I'm not going to tell you everything, Beca." Chloe crossed her arms, holding her paintball gun against her chest.

"But I do get special treatment, don't I?"

Distant footsteps interrupted Chloe's thought process. They were coming from their left side, beyond where a single drunk Stacie hid inside of her tunnel.

Stacie nodded lazily after Chloe gestured to her. A hooked finger followed by a point and the universal sign for talking.

She signaled Beca to follow her behind another wall, adjacent to the tunnel.

"What did that mean?" Beca whispered. "We never establish hand signals."

"Bait. You. Talk. I'm surprised she understood being all drunk."

They crouched, following the wall north, away from the tunnel and turned left at the corner cautiously sweeping their guns as they scanned for any movement. They could see the other end of the tunnel about twenty feet away, diagonally to their left.

"You see 'em?"

"No." Beca whispered, following the redhead close behind.

Chloe pivoted left and Beca right. Fingers rested on their triggers, watching for any movement.

They pivoted again at a lack of enemies, back to their previous position to continue their advance.

"This is fun. We should do this more often." Chloe breathed out.

"This is the most nerve-wracking experience of my life and I never want to do this ever again." Beca snagged Chloe's arm and pulled her behind a wall to their right.

"What?"

"Sh.." The brunette gently laid her hand over the redhead's entire face. She felt Chloe's lips curl into a grin under her palm.

Amy's loud whisper came from ahead. "Do-do you see them?!"

"Puta, don't you know to shut up when someone is trying to shoot you? This is just like that time I accidentally went into this warehouse where a cartel was-"

"Y'all need to s-shut the hell up." Cynthia Rose hissed.

Beca knew they were still drunk. She remembered the three knocking back shots back at the strip club and could hear their feet lazily shuffling through the dirt.

"We could take them." She whispered.

"Sh.." Chloe waited.

"What the fuck?!" Stacie's voice echoed from the tunnel.

They peeked out from the wall just in time to see the three quietly scurrying towards the opening of the giant tube with their backs to them.

"Let's go." They crept forward, barrels aimed at the backs of the unsuspecting three who cautiously stood at the opening of the tunnel, ready to pounce on Stacie.

They stopped and crouched to the floor once they got into range.

"Now." Chloe breathed out through an evil grin.

The three scrambled as the paintballs pelted them.

Beca never knew how soothing the sound of quick hisses of air was until now.

Amy was the first to go down. Beca accidentally shot her leg but that didn't stop her from continuing to tap the trigger. She giggled as the blonde screamed, flipping and rolling on the floor like a fish out of water.

Cynthia Rose dropped herself to the ground in an attempt to make it harder for them to shoot her but she was still covered in paint.

Flo on the other hand managed to dodge every single plastic pellet that came her way. She flipped and spun out of sight, prompting Beca to frustratedly waste some of her ammo on the wall she scurried behind.

They approached the two on the floor and high fived each other after making sure Flo wasn't going to pop out and catch them by surprise.

Amy wriggled on the floor, clutching her thigh. "You shot my leg! You're supposed to aim for the vest!"

"Sorry, it was an accident. You okay?" Beca was almost sincere in her apology.

"I can take it! But I'm just saying." The two stood and brushed the dirt off of their clothes.

"Y'all gotta wait in the dead zone." Chloe sing-songed.

"We know." The two responded in unison before dragging themselves around a corner and out of view.

They smiled at each other but jumped when they heard a single wisp of air and the crack of a pellet against plastic a moment later.

"Fuck." Stacie groaned. "I wanted to shoot somebody."

Chloe grabbed Beca and pulled her to the side of the tunnel where they knew Stacie was still hidden inside of.

Slowly, the redhead peeked around the corner and spotted Jessica and Ashley standing behind Stacie who had a single splotch of green paint on her back.

She quickly retreated behind the wall of the tunnel when Ashley screamed and shot in her direction. They watched as paintballs shot out of the tunnel and impacted a wall ahead. It lasted for a minute, the screaming and shooting, and when it finally ended, they knew that they had both ran out of ammo.

Chloe smiled as she crept into the tunnel. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She teased, barely slurring anymore.

"You don't need to shoot us, we could just go to the dead-" Beca lifted her barrel and shot a single pellet against Jessica's vest, causing the blonde to frown.

Chloe aimed at Ashley who ran quicker than she could pull the trigger. She quickly followed her, turning left once out of the tunnel, back to where she has just explained the hand signals to Beca. Chloe was ready to end the chase with a single flick of her finger when it started to rain pellets. Beca quickly pulled her back, ducking behind a wall to their right as Ashley tumbled to the ground, they giggled as she was peppered with paintballs.

Beca glanced up after the dust had settled, spotting Lilly perched on the top of a wall.

"How the hell did she get up there? Is that cheating?"

"Our secret weapon." Chloe winked.

Beca kept her eyes on Lilly, she was like an owl up there, her head swiveled back and forth at a constant speed, it was a bit scary. Her brows furrowed in confusion when the girl flinched.

"What just happened?" They watched Lilly drop herself from the edge, hanging from a single hand before kicking off the wall and landing on a nearby car. They spotted a bit green on her right side as she made her way to the dead zone.

Beca's eyes shot across the way and she met eyes with Aubrey who quickly darted out of view.

"Oh shit." The brunette whispered. "There goes our secret weapon."

They jumped when Emily appeared from behind them.

"Em?"

"Flo got me. I didn't even see her." Emily shrugged as she walked off towards the dead zone.

"She's behind us then." Beca whispered. "We're surrounded. We need to hole up."

"Yeah.. let's go."

They found another car that actually had working doors and sat inside, patiently scoping the area. They sat on the left side of the scrap of metal since the right side was up against a wall. Beca was crouched down in the back seat with the barrel of her gun hanging out the window and Chloe was doing the same in the front seat.

"I'm hungry." Beca whined.

"I feel like most of our conversations start with you saying you're hungry."

"Yes, they do. Your point being?"

"Nothing. Maybe I should have planned a trip to have dinner today."

"We're not stopping to get food today?"

"I forgot."

"If you had let me help you plan this, I promise you, I wouldn't have let you forget about food."

"Relax, we could stop by some fast food place or something on the way to the club."

"So we are going to the club after this."

"Duh.."

"But we're covered in paint."

Chloe shrugged. "I mean, not really.. most of the paint got on the vests."

"So the plan was strip club, paintball, clubbing? I gotta say, that's some poor planning."

"No Beca, half their team is still drunk. I'd say it's great planning. Plus, you always have to end a bachelorette party with the club."

Beca gasped. "Wait! You rigged this game? Is that why you told me to watch Stacie? So I wouldn't drink?"

"No, I told you to watch Stacie because she needed to be watched."

"But you got drunk."

"And yet, here I am, pretty darn sobered up. I bounce back pretty quick."

"You're kind of.. really cunning."

Chloe glanced back at the brunette and smiled. ".. Thanks, beb-"

Aubrey emerged ahead of them again from behind the wall the car sat beside.

Shots were fired. Beca scrambled, trying to aim at the blonde who confidently shot into the car in a way that reminded Beca of how Tony shot his tommy gun in the movie Scarface- a reference Beca only knew of because Jesse had made her watch it with him. Aubrey fanned the bullets back and forth and Beca struggled to get her gun even pointed to the front of the car.

The dust settled before Beca could even pull the trigger but she was happy to find a bit of yellow paint dead center on the blonde's vest.

"You got her, Chlo."

"Yep.." Chloe sighed as she kicked the door open and stepped out into the dusky air. Beca frowned when the redhead turned around to face her, she had three broken shells, sticking to the bright green paint on the upper half of her vest.

"Aw, dude.."

"Of course we took each other out!" Aubrey approached. "Though, I'd say I did three times better. I made sure not to hit that cute face of yours." Aubrey flicked the plastic shells from Chloe's vest and smiled widely. "Nice shot though. Can't say the same for Beca."

"Hey! I- the barrel is too long, the damn seat was-"

"Becs.." Chloe slowly turned to the brunette still in the car. "Win this for us, 'kay?"

"Okay.. I mean, I'll try."

"You got this." They smiled at each other, only interrupted by Aubrey when she dragged Chloe away by her elbow.

"Come on, Chlo. To hell we go."

Chloe followed Aubrey to the dead zone and smiled when they were warmly welcomed by the rest of the girls.

"Who's left?" Emily asked from her seat beside Amy on the rounded stone platform that sat in the middle of the small clearing.

"Beca and Flo." Chloe happily replied, she was proud of her little alt-girl.

"Oh, we got this. Beca cannot take Flo out."

Chloe squinted at Amy. "Beca can win this, Amy. Just watch." She confidently stated as Stacie approached.

"Bree, can we talk?"

Aubrey glanced at Chloe before nodding and following the brunette to a corner, far enough that if they whispered, no one would hear.

"So, Chloe!" Amy smiled widely.

"Oh, no. Amy, please not now."

"Why not?" The blonde approached slowly. "Because Beca isn't here to help lie?"

"Amy-"

"Was she good?" Amy's eyebrows bounced playfully.

"Amy! We-"

"Was who good?"

Chloe fidgeted with her vest nervously as the blonde slowly turned to the curious, Cynthia Rose.

"Beca." Amy happily responded.

"We didn't!" Chloe huffed, growing more frustrated with each wide eyed glance she received.

Everyone slowly stood from their seats and surrounded Chloe, each with a cheeky grin on their face.

"I saw you!" Amy drawled.

"You didn't see anything! I was-"

"She was in her little lacy red bra and panties, I saw her! And Beca was there and they were like giggling!"

"It wasn't like that!"

"Aca-scuse me?" Emily and Cynthia Rose made way for Aubrey who approached from her brief chat with Stacie. "You slept with Beca?!"

Chloe glanced around nervously with her chin down, like a sad puppy in trouble. "No, I-"

"Sit down." Aubrey hooked her arm and led her to the platform. "Tell me everything."

She shrunk, glancing at each girl who either had their arms crossed across their chests or their hands on their hips. ".. There's nothing to tell! What am I supposed to say, guys? That I actually had the guts to make a move and she reciprocated my feelings and we spontaneously just.. did it?!"

"Yes!" They all replied in unison.

"Well that didn't happen!" Chloe's eyes fell to the floor. "It was just a stupid dare.. one that I pathetically suggested."

She closed her eyes when she heard them all sigh.

".. Disperse! All of you!" Aubrey shooed the girls away before sitting down next to the redhead. ".. You okay, babe?"

"Yeah, it's just that.." Chloe blinked at the floor. "I'm gonna tell her, once we're alone, I'm going to tell her everything."

"That's good. That's **great** , even."

"Last night, I heard her.. she was talking to a wine bottle." Chloe grinned. "She's so stupid, she thought I couldn't hear but- she.." Chloe bit her lip, beaming at Aubrey. "She said she was going to kiss me. And she said a crap load of other things I barely remember but I'm not sure I should tell you that part."

"You're kidding. She said this to a bottle of wine?"

"She was pretty drunk."

Aubrey smiled. "That's-.. Chloe, this is it! Right?! This is it! You know she wants to kiss you, you know she likes you too. That's- this is everything you've been waiting for."

"I know! I know."

"So when are you trying to-"

"Today, hopefully.. But everything is going to change once I tell her."

"Yeah, for the better. You gotta do this, Chlo. You'll be so happy once it's all out there."

"Yeah, you're right.. You think you maybe want to follow in my footsteps?"

Aubrey squinted suspiciously. ".. What do you mean?"

She scoffed in response. "What do I mean? Stacie is what I mean. You know, I actually thought that the problem was between her and Luke, but.. it's you, isn't it? You and her."

Aubrey blushed and she knew she had her.

"Are any of us straight here?" Chloe teased.

"Probably not."

"Do you love her?"

Aubrey froze.

"Bree?" Chloe smiled as she softly nudged the blonde with a shoulder. "Do you love her?"

Her grin grew wider when Aubrey subtly nodded.

"More than Luke?"

Aubrey didn't hesitate to nod again.

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's not that black and white."

"Not everything is as complicated as you make it out to be.. For what it's worth, I think you should go for it, Bree. I know you love Luke and you don't want to leave him alone, but you can't string him along just because you pity him. I know you keep going back to her. I see it. Whenever we're all together.. I see the way you look at her. You gotta choose, you can't have both."

"I don't have both. I have one."

"No, Bree.." Chloe jutted her chin at Stacie sulking by herself in a corner. "You have both. Remember what you told me? Like what your father always said, If the bungee rope is strong, jump."

"You actually remembered that?"

"Yeah.. it kind of makes sense in a really weird way."

"Well, everything he says makes sense, Chlo.."

Chloe nodded sympathetically. "Whatever you say, Bree. So, is that what's stopping you? The fact that she's a girl? And that your father would probably try to drown you in holy water?"

"That's half of it."

"And the other half?"

"The other half.." Aubrey took a second to breathe. "The other half, you will get once we're not surrounded by nosy, garbage, dick licks."

Chloe chuckled, she's always loved Aubrey's insults.

* * *

Beca was bored and very much alone, still sitting tight inside of the car.

She jumped when the pairs of fluorescent and black lights that were perched at the top of each wall all turned on at once.

Suddenly, it was night time.

Flo was nowhere to be found.

And she really needed to pee.

Like.. really bad.

She noticed that her bandana glowed brightly under the fluorescent, black light combo. That's what she needed to look for. She scanned the area for the thousandth time, remembering that Flo had her bandana tied just above one of her knees.

It was quiet, the only sound being the faint buzzing from the lights above, and a cricket in the distance.

Her heart skipped a beat when she spotted Flo about five minutes later, cautiously creeping forward in the distance.

She slipped down lower in her seat, hiding her bandana from the light. Her heart was pounding through her chest and she made a mental note to research different ways to calm down in a situation like this, the second she got home. Maybe if she tried deep breathing.

With each step Flo slowly took in her direction, she took a breath. Inhaling with her right foot, and exhaling with her left.

Until she was finally close enough.

She held her breath and fired.

And missed.

She missed again and again as the girl ducked and somersaulted away from her.

She kept firing, in hopes of at least one her pathetic pellets would hit her but missed every time. Flo kept flipping, jumping and rolling back and forth, changing directions every time Beca would try to predict her movements. She fired until she couldn't anymore and Flo cartwheeled out of view again.

"Shit." She was out of ammo. "Fuck mee.." She cursed at herself for being stupid enough to waste ammunition. This is what karma looks like.

_Chloe. Chloe has ammo._

She had to make it to the dead zone.

It was now or never.

_One._

_Two._

_.. Three._

She kicked the door open and dashed around the car to cover behind the wall. She heard a paintball wiz by, connecting with the wall ahead and shrieked. She turned right, following the neon painted skull and arrow on the walls.

She had never run so fast in her life.

She really needed to pick up cardio again.

The arrow painted on the wall ahead of her pointed left. She was close, she could hear conversation but the footsteps behind her and the second pellet to fly by her head that day made her want to curl on the floor and cry. She watched the paintball shatter against the wall ahead of her and kicked up her speed when the paint splattered dead center on the skull's forehead.

"Chloe! Ammo! I need your gun!" She turned the corner, yelling at the top of her lungs, which she found to be very hard while running at top speed.

"Where are you?!" Chloe's voice was close.

She spotted another neon arrow and skull, pointing right, and followed the signs, ducking when another three pellets zipped by.

"I'm coming!" She shrieked when another pellet shot by her head. "The vest! Aim for the vest!"

"Puta! Stop running!"

She sprinted when she spotted bright neon letters spelling out 'DEAD ZONE' with an arrow pointing left.

"Shit! Chloe! Gun! Now!" She turned the last corner and was surprised to find Chloe's paintball gun thrown towards her. She was even more surprised when she actually caught it.

She spun on her feet and ducked behind the wall that had 'DEAD ZONE' painted on it and waited, staring at the girls who were scrambling in a panic, all afraid of becoming casualties.

Flo dashed into the dead zone but stopped when she couldn't find Beca in the mess that was The Bellas.

"Behind you-" Aubrey yelled.

But before Flo could even turn around or do another one of her ridiculous backflips again, Beca had already fired two shots in her back.

She lowered her barrel, staring at Flo as she caught her breath.

"Aw man.." Flo whined. "The cartel didn't train me to lose.."

"Beca!" Chloe screamed, jumping up and down towards the shocked brunette. "We won!"

Beca began bouncing along with the redhead.

"You did it!" Chloe yelled, wrapping Beca in a tight hug as they jumped up and down.

"Oh my God! Flo, you're fucking scary! I mean it would have been a lot worse if it was Lilly chasing me but you're pretty terrifying when you're trying to shoot me.. And you're supposed to aim for the vest!"

Flo shrugged after pulling off her vest. "Headshot kills."

"Who wants chicken nuggets?!" Amy yelled at nobody in particular.

Aubrey stared at her in disbelief. She puffed out her chest and frowned. "Amy, this is my bachelorette party! I am not eating chicken nuggets on my bachelorette party!" Her eyes shot to Chloe. "Chlo! I'm not having chicken nuggets! Tell her!"

* * *

"One hundred forty chicken nuggets, and two mcflurries! Oh! And one coffee for our great driver!" Chloe yelled, climbing back onto the bus, paper bags in hand. "One mcflurry for the bride, and one for Becs for winning." She danced as she made her way through the bus, tossing a bag of twenty nuggets to each person and hand delivering each of the mcflurries to her favorite two girls.

Beca smirked as the redhead settled back into her seat beside her. "You got me a mcflurry? I should win things more often, but then again that sounds like a lot of work."

"Dessert later. Protein first."

"You mean diabetes later, clogged arteries first."

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Chloe snatched the cup out of Beca's hand and set it aside.

"You got it, Red."

Chloe unintentionally shouldered Beca as the bus began moving again.

"How are you feeling? Still a little buzzed?"

"No, I think sweated most of it out. Is that possible? I think I drank enough water too. Which reminds me, I really have to pee."

"I have to pee too. Flo chasing me almost made me piss my pants." Beca grinned with half a nugget caught between her teeth as Chloe chuckled. "Any progress on the two over there?" Beca whispered, tilting her head towards Aubrey and Stacie. "Find out anything during your time in the dead zone?"

Chloe nodded excitedly. She grimaced as she swallowed her food much too soon.

"Come here." Chloe cupped Beca's ear and whispered. "It's Bree."

Beca leaned back and squinted at her. "What? What does that mean?"

Again, she leaned in and whispered. "It's Stacie and Bree. They're totally gay for each other."

"They're-" Beca jerked forward a few times. "They're- them two? Stacie and Aubrey? Aubrey and Stacie?" Chloe nodded, waiting for the shock to settle. "They're.. They've? For each other? With each other? That's.. Are you sure? That's- Them?!"

"I know right? I guess, Stacie's bi and Bree is.. I don't know? Um.. holy crap, I have no idea. What kind of best friend, slash non-relative sister, slash maid of honor am I? Oh my god, Beca! I'm a horrible maid of honor! I'm team Stacie. I'm supposed to be helping with this wedding stuff but instead I told the bride to break it off with her fiancé."

"But she's not even mad." Beca stared at the floor, still in shock as she popped a nugget in her mouth.

"Becs, what does that mean?!" She whispered.

"It means that.. Maybe she thinks you're right."

"I'm a horrible person."

"No, you're not. She can't have both, she has to choose."

"That's exactly what I said."

"It's like Toy Story 3, Aubrey is Andy. She just has to give the toys away so they can have fun playing with someone else when she knows she's not going to play with them."

"That sounds vaguely dirty."

Beca rolled her eyes. "All Pixar movies are vaguely dirty if you phrase the synopsis right."

"Oh really?"

"Try me." Beca dared, shoving another nugget into her mouth.

"Monsters Inc."

"Hairy beast takes care of little girl, she screams a lot."

"Jesus Christ! That's not vaguely dirty, that's just dirty."

"Close enough." Beca laughed.

"Up."

"Old dude has some fun with a little boy-"

"Oh my god!"

"And a lot of bitches.. I could go on all day."

"Finding Nemo."

"Umm.. hm. That one's tougher. I don't know? He touched the butt? Someone inks. There's squirting, I think? 'Just keep swimming' the motto for sperm everywhere! I don't know, pass?"

"I'll take it." Chloe giggled, actually beaming for the first time that day. "Brave."

"Bears. That's it. Just bears. And sausage fests." They chuckled. "Bears attend sausage fest!"

"You're going to hell for those."

"You're laughing too so I'll see you there.. Come on, keep them coming! I could do this for a living."

"Thanks, but I think I've heard enough. I'm surprised you know all these movies."

"Um, well I'm not sure if you remembered but I used to have a thing called a boyfriend who liked to shove movies down my throat. Also, I grew up with these movies unlike you, you old hag."

"Rude! And some of those are kind of recent."

".. I grew up physically yes, but not mentally."

Chloe scoffed. "I don't think you grew physically either."

"Now who's rude?!"

Chloe laughed. "You're an idiot." She muttered through a small smile.

"Two mean comments in a row. Who are you? I miss nice Chloe."

"Oh yeah?"

Beca hesitated. "Yes."

"I think I get why you're always grumpy.. it's kind of exciting."

"You're such a thrill seeker." The brunette mocked.

"What's so great about nice me anyways?" Chloe raised her eyebrows when Beca rolled her eyes. "What? Come on, I think I like being an asshole, it's going to be my new thing.."

"You could never be an asshole all the time.. it takes too much out of you. You don't work that way."

"And what do you know about the way I work?"

"Everything." Beca tossed a nugget in her mouth.

The redhead froze. ".. Aww." She smiled as shrunk into her seat, severely over exaggerating her flattered state.

Beca frowned, trying to hide her smile. "Why are you always so corny?"

"Me, corny? You're the one that said it."

"Yeah, but you always want to be weird about it."

"Are you complaining?"

Beca squinted at her. "That's a secret."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 26 is waiting for you ~


	26. "It's Right in Front of You."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ingrid Michaelson - You and I  
> Elton John - Can You Feel the Love Tonight  
> ^ interpret that how you want to.^
> 
> Before I wrote this chapter, I asked myself a simple question: How fluffy did I want this chapter to be?
> 
> Answer: HELLA
> 
> Honestly I might have gone overboard.
> 
> &I'm sorry for dragging it out but I needed the time to figure this one out the way I wanted. Also I'm taking a break guys, give me like a month, I promise I'm not abandoning this, I'm VERY excited to write this upcoming fluff, I just need a timeout after 22k fucking words! I can't believe I wrote that much. Wouldn't it be fucked up if I didn't give you guys the kiss today?... hheheheh. Jk (or am i?)  
> Anyways I hope I didn't drop the ball on this. I love you all. Enjoy. Happy holidays.

The club was like any other nightclub, really. It was crowded and dark, with the only light source being the glow of the misty glass bar and the lasers that shot from the high warehouse ceiling. Along with the touchy perverts, left and right. Beca had never really been a nightclub person, but that never stopped Chloe from dragging her to a new one at least once a month. She should be used to this by now; watching Chloe dance in the distance while she sat at the bar with a half empty drink in her sweaty palms. Well, more accurately, eagerly waiting for the crowd to open up so she could catch a brief glimpse of Chloe between the swarm of people swinging her hips like she dedicated her whole life to perfecting her rhythm and sway. It was like precious breadcrumbs Beca was desperate for. She gritted her teeth every time a new guy would come along and touch Chloe a little too much for her to be comfortable, but this is a nightclub, and that's what people do at nightclubs, so what could she really do about it?

She was still limiting herself with her drink. Too long of a sip and she'd be out, but she knew how to be careful. Four years with the bellas taught her plenty of things, and being careful with her alcohol was at the top of that list. It had to be. She wouldn't go so far as to say that the bella parties were always the biggest parties of the year but they were definitely the biggest parties of the year.

And what's a big party without shit tons of alcohol?

It was poison, really.

The Bella Brew was what they called it, no one knew the entire contents of it. They had a tradition; the punch bowl would sit empty on the kitchen counter the morning of the party. Throughout the day, each bella would add what they could to it, without anyone seeing of course, punishment being three shots of the evil concoction on the spot. Rules? Nothing but hard liquor and fruity flavorings were allowed. Beca had a sip of it once, she didn't remember the rest of the night. What she did recall was the feeling of acid burning through her esophagus, not to mention how absolutely disgusting it was despite the fruity tang. She wondered how the hell no one ever got alcohol poisoning. Either way, she physically felt it setting her insides aflame that night so she's never touched it since.

She's always been careful with alcohol, only fully letting go when Chloe was around to help take care of the aftermath, but since that night the redhead had somehow convinced her to try the "Devil's piss", as she called it, she knew to never trust any drink from the bellas ever again. Especially since Chloe had to beg her for a solid 10 minutes to try it that night. She should have known it was going to kill her. She should have said no until Chloe gave up. But Chloe was persistent. And who was she kidding, it was Halloween that day, and Chloe was dressed up as Hercules for fuck's sake, and she had somehow convinced Beca to dress up as her Megara. It was weird; Beca hated couples costumes, but apparently, if Chloe didn't have her Megara by her side, she would "literally die" as she had put it.

And Chloe could convince Beca to do anything at any given moment, let alone when Beca was already buzzed, and Chloe was wearing that one golden leaf crown that sat atop her braided red hair. And that fiery hair snaked around her gorgeous neck and rested on her literally glistening collar bone. And Beca laughed at the fake abs on the breastplate but she wasn't really paying attention to the torso of the costume if she was being honest. Beca found herself constantly chasing after Chloe's cape like a cat with a ball of yarn that night, and although Jesse was there too, she didn't pay much attention to him since Chloe occupied every thought in her intoxicated mind. Especially when Chloe would call her along to play tag with nothing but a single wink from across the crowded room. She was drunk and in a long flowy dress, but boy, were her legs moving. And so was Chloe's under her short gladiator skirt. They must have chased each other around The Bella's house about twenty times that night, inside and out.

It was a great Halloween, even if Beca didn't remember half of it.

"Why aren't you dancing, mushroom?" Amy's scream in her ear snapped her out of her daydream.

"Mushroom?"

"Why aren't you dancing?!"

Beca pulled away when Amy poked her face.

"I'm tired!" She replied, taking another sip of her drink.

Amy leaned in closer and yelled louder. "Come on! This is our last stop! We'll be here for a while, you might as well enjoy it!"

"I need to watch all the stuff!" She gestured to all the girls' purses that were piled together in the seat next to her.

"I'll watch them! Go dance!"

"It's okay! I got it-"

"Go dance with your woman!"

"What?!"

Amy softly pulled her off the bar stool before sitting herself down, taking Beca's drink and shooing the brunette away. "You heard me! She's waiting for you."

Beca couldn't help her instinctive smile. "She's not my woman."

"Not yet, she isn't." The blonde replied, adding a thumbs up for encouragement. "You gotta go get her first."

Beca shook her head as she turned back towards the intimidating mass of bodies and ventured forward.

She should have taken a shot before this.

She always takes a shot before dancing with Chloe.

Not that she really needed it.

Who was she kidding, she needed a fucking shot.

But it was too late now, because she was halfway there and Chloe had already spotted her in the mess of the dance floor.

"Beca!" Chloe hopped in place before leaving behind the guy she was dancing with to throw herself onto the brunette. "My love!" Her arms were wrapped around Beca's neck when she pulled back and smiled widely. "It's about time!"

"You're drunk.. again!"

"I'm buzzed! And what's your point?! We don't need to watch Stacie and Aubrey anymore, we know what their deal is. It's time to let loose, Beca. You know, live a little." She winked her famous Chloe Beale wink before tugging on Beca's hand to lead her deeper into the crowd. "Follow me! I want to show you something!"

"Where are you taking me?!"

"To the best spot!" Beca struggled to follow the bouncy redhead, they ducked under swinging arms and maneuvered around bouncing hips before coming to a stop right in front of a giant amp, taller than the two of them, right beside the platform the DJ stood on.

Chloe turned back around and smiled at Beca.

"Wait 'til the bass drops! It'll numb your face!" Chloe yelled, giddy and buzzing with energy.

The brunette took a second to lose herself in the feeling of the music rattling her ribcage, pumping through her chest and making her teeth chatter. "My face is already numb!"

"I won't be able to hear for a week!"

"What?!"

Chloe grinned before grabbing Beca's face and screaming in her ear. "Do you like it?!"

"It's fucking great!" Beca shook her head, tossing her hair back and forth as she began to let loose.

Chloe bounced in place in response to Beca's enthusiasm. "I was waiting for you, you know?! This whole time! You were taking forever, I was starting to get bored!"

"What?!" The brunette leaned closer until they were pushing against each other. Their hands found each other for balance as the crowd around them bounced and crashed into each other.

"I was waiting for you to come dance! So I could show you!" Chloe's lips tickled Beca's ear. Literally, Chloe's lips had brushed against Beca's earlobe a total of two times throughout that last sentence. Beca counted. Well, they both did.

Beca really should have taken a shot. Or at least another sip of her drink.

She tried hard to shake off the feeling growing in her chest. "You could've just gotten me!"

"You looked like you needed that drink! You looked grumpy!"

"Sure, you just didn't want to leave that guy behind!"

She shouldn't have said that.

Chloe frowned and slumped her shoulders, her buzz practically axe murdered. "Beca, I was waiting for you! I've been waiting for you- I just left him to dance with you! You idiot!" She jabbed a finger in Beca's sternum.

"Okay, okay! Come on, flip that frown upside down!" She grabbed Chloe's hand and danced, teasing the redhead with a silly smile in hopes to get her to drop the subject. "Come on, you said you were waiting to dance with me, so I'm here now. I don't see you dancing, though! I want to see you shake that butt, Chlo! What's a pirate if she can't show off her booty?! Nothing I say!"

It worked. Of course it did.

Because Chloe **loves** dancing.

And so, they moved in rhythm to the beat. They sang along to the songs. And they, well.. danced, taking turns giving and receiving. A grind here. A tug there. Smiles and lingering looks everywhere. Not once getting more than a foot away from each other.

"I really like dancing!" Chloe hollered, bringing her hands up to bury them in her messy hair.

"I know-"

"With you!"

Beca had heard those words before. Where has she heard those words before?

_Chloe's always dancing with you. She's always looking at you._

Beca raked the sweaty strands of hair from her face and flipped the part in her hair as she met the redhead's gaze. She looked tired, Beca thought. Tired, but beaming as always. And also sweaty as fuck.

"With me?"

"Yeah, with you!"

".. I really like dancing with you too, Chlo." She smiled.

"You're a really good dancer, I think you should know that. Even when you're not trying, it's just natural for you. And it's weird because you don't look like you'd be a natural, you're kind of clumsy and you look clumsy.. but you're a good dancer."

Beca blushed, not that it mattered, it was dark and alcohol always made her blood rush. "Uh huh.. Thanks, I try."

"You make it a lot more fun!"

Beca squinted at her, still holding that wide smile. "I'm not completely sure what that means but okay."

"It means you're fun to dance with! I have more fun when I'm dancing with you! I'm happier when I'm dancing with you!" Chloe hopped closer and held tightly onto Beca's hands, pulling them up and over both their heads. "Like.. only you.."

She dropped Beca's hands to run her fingers through the brunette's hair, raking them forward and around Beca's ears before resting them on her neck.

"You're full of compliments today!"

"I'm just like.. really happy! And you deserve all the compliments. I will happily compliment you for as long as you want me to. Just thinking about it makes me happy."

Beca hesitated. ".. Chlo, you'd tell me if you took a pill some random person gave you, right?"

"I didn't take anything, I promise! I'm just happy!" Chloe giggled.

"Are you sure? What about drinks? Any weird guy give you a drink?"

"I didn't take anything except a drink Ashley gave me like twenty minutes ago."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Beca! I'm just happy! Today's been a shit day but it's looking up. It's.. gonna be great."

"Okay, that's good. I'm happy that you're happy."

"Your happiness makes me happy!" Chloe inched her face closer, a wide grin playing on her lips.

"I'm happy that my happiness makes you happy!"

Chloe chuckled before pulling away and twirling a few times. "I'm happy you feel that way!"

"Okay this is a drunk endless cycle I got sucked into! So I'll just leave it at that, okay?"

"Okay." Chloe grabbed Beca's face again but this time instead of screaming in her ear, she planted a sloppy kiss on Beca's sweaty forehead. "Salty!" She beamed, wrinkling her nose in a way that made Beca want to melt into the floor.

"That's gross. I'm sorry I'm salty."

"Let me know when you're not, maybe we can try that again." Beca chuckled at her before freezing, stone faced. "I need to pee again. Let's go!" Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and dragged her into the crowd again towards the end of the club.

"Slow down."

"Heyooo!" Chloe yelled at a couple in the hallway that were practically eating each other's faces. "Beautiful you two, keep it up!"

They stumbled into the restroom and giggled at each other for no practical reason other than genuinely enjoying each other's company.

"-Fuck." An unfamiliar voice came from a closed stall. "Shh." The girl whispered.

Chloe grinned widely at the brunette and brought a finger to her lips.

"What?" Beca followed her, allowing Chloe to pull her farther into the tiled room.

"Shh.." Chloe pointed to the handicap stall and her eyes literally lit up as she looked back into Beca's eyes. "Someone's having sexy times in there." She whispered, eyes gleaming from excitement in response to the scandalous situation they just stumbled into.

Beca glanced over Chloe's shoulder before listening carefully. She blushed when she heard the heavy breathing. Her jaw dropped as Chloe bounced and giggled. "Shut up." She whispered, trying to get Chloe to settle down. "Hurry up and go pee so we can get out of here."

"Oh yeah!" She watched Chloe stagger into a stall and waited. "Don't listen." Chloe giggled.

"To what?"

"My pee.. and what's happening in the next stall."

"It's not like I can just turn off my hearing."

"Okay, do you want me to sing for you to help get your mind off things?"

"I think that's more for you than me but okay. Knock yourself out, Red."

Chloe hummed, trying to think of a song until she finally settled on one. ".. Oh don't you worry there my honey, we might not have any money. But we've got our love to pay the bills." Chloe sang as she began to pee. Beca could help rolling her eyes at the whole situation. "Maybe I think you're cute and funny, maybe I wanna do what bunnies do, with you, if you know what I mean. Oh let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France- wow this is a lot of pee- Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance-"

"Would you shut the fuck up! I'm trying to have sex here!"

Beca bent over in laughter. "Oh my God.."

"Excuse me sir but that is just rude! I'm sorry for trying to ignore the fact that you're having sex in the same room I'm in, while I'm peeing. But this is the women's restroom! You shouldn't even be here!"

"Man, this is bullshit-"

"You're bullshit!" Chloe snapped.

"Okay Red, just do your thing."

"I'm just trying to get laid." He whined.

"She's just singing, dude." Beca chuckled, trying to defend Chloe as best she could. "It's not hurting anyone."

"I mean, I would have appreciated it, if it wasn't that song. I mean, come on! Hit us with some FKA Twigs or something! Help us out." The man replied.

Beca scoffed. "She's not singing just so you guys can have sex to it!"

"Yeah.. I guess you're right.. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Chloe softly replied. "I'm sorry I called you cow manure."

"It's cool.. Y-You can keep singing if you want."

"No, thanks.. I'm done here." Chloe flushed the toilet and shuffled out of the stall, eyeing Beca shyly.

"For what it's worth, I thought your singing was beautiful." Beca grinned, leaning against a sink with her arms folded across her chest.

"Okay, hold up! I thought it was beautiful too okay? You have a lovely voice! It's just that, the situation I'm in, isn't exactly the greatest time to sing Ingrid Michaelson. You know, maybe if I was singing it to my girl during a road trip or something.. that would be cool I guess. Or like.. during a walk in the park or something. But come on I'm half naked in the bathroom of a nightclub at one in the goddamn morning for Christ's sake. I want something gritty and dripping with sex at least. Your singing was lovely, it's just that this isn't the right situation for Ingrid Michaelson.. You understand right?"

"Yes.. Thank you for clarifying, sir." Chloe replied as she washed her hands, watching the smile on Beca's lips grow wider.

"You're welcome. Have a nice day." He lowered his voice. "Now, where were we, baby?"

Beca's eyes widened when she heard the stall start to rattle. She shook her head at Chloe who was smiling back. "Unbelievable.." She whispered.

Their smiles quickly disappeared as they got caught up listening.

They stared at each other, both blushing, from the alcohol, from the couple in the stall, from the sounds they were hearing.

Beca watched Chloe slowly bite her bottom lip and she felt like her heart suddenly decided to try out gymnastics.

Forgetting to breathe seemed like a common thing for her nowadays.

She felt shocks shoot up her spine when she heard a quiet moan float from stall.

Maybe she should have kissed her and pulled her into a stall before the door swung open again and another three girls came tumbling in, tripping over themselves and giggling like they had just heard the greatest joke of their lives.

"You okay?" Chloe asked, smiling again.

"Yeah.." She breathed out.

"Back to the dance floor then?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Chloe practically crashed into the bar, sweaty and out of breath.

"Having fun with your lover out there, Chlo?"

"Two waters, please!" Chloe turned to Aubrey who sat beside the pile of purses and wallets and frowned. "Hey, why aren't you dancing, Bree?" She grabbed her glasses of water and sat down next to the blonde.

"I just sat down, I've been dancing all day."

"With Stace?" Chloe teased.

"Oh, come on."

"You should just end it today. Fuck it, Bree! Let your hair down! Take a chance and go for what you want for once!"

"I could say the same to you!"

"No, you can't, you're running out of time! I got a six month lease! Beca isn't going anywhere!"

Aubrey laughed at the drunk redhead.

"Do it, Bree! Rip the sticker off! Kiss the girl!"

"Band-Aid!"

"Whatever! Go get the girl!"

"Yeah, maybe.." The blonde shrugged.

"Maybe?!"

"Yes, maybe. You're drunk! You're not thinking clearly!"

"I'm not drunk! But even if I was.. Ha-haven't you ever heard the quote.. something about.. a drunk person talking and.. someone who's not drunk isn't-isn't talking? The one who isn't drunk is the one that's not talking.. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts?"

"Yes! That one.." Chloe leaned closer. "Haven't you ever heard of that quote?!"

"Chloe, I-I just recited it for you." Aubrey laughed.

".. Wha-what are you talking about, Bree?" She burped and giggled at herself. "Smells like nuggets-"

"Oh my god, where is your wife? You need to be taken care of."

"I told her I was getting water for us. She's somewhere in there." Chloe blinked slowly as she stared into the crowd. "Where's your wife?!"

"Dancing."

Chloe smiled at Aubrey and quickly hugged her, accidentally spilling some water on the blonde in the process. "Neither of us denied it."

"I know."

"We're screwed, Bree.. we're just a pair of girls that are like.. totally in love with other girls and girls in love with girls is like the greatest thing ever.."

"Yeah. I guess.."

"Girls in love with girls! That's what we are! And it feels great!"

Aubrey shook her head at Chloe's dumb smile. "Yes. Don't you think you should you return to your wife now?"

A wide grin grew on Chloe's face. "I should."

"Have fun."

"Wait! Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"You and Stace? Since when? Their freshmen year right?"

"Yeah.."

"But.. how, Bree? What happened?"

"Not here, Chloe."

"Okay, let's find a quieter place!"

"Chloe.."

"You owe me, Bree! You have put this off for far too long!" Chloe yelled as she pulled the pile of purses into her arms. "I am your best and only friend and I want to know now!"

Aubrey stared into her eyes before finally agreeing and following the redhead to a booth away from all the people and noise.

Chloe dumped the clutches onto the table between them and slumped in, watching Aubrey do the same across from her.

"Come on. Spill. I wanna know how, when, how it ended- if that's not too sensitive- how Luke came into it. Everything, right here, right now. Show me what you got, babe."

Aubrey nodded and leaned forward. "Okay fine.. Um, Stacie and I have been talking since she joined the bellas but it wasn't anything at first. We were just flirting a lot, I guess? I didn't know what it was, I was just going along with it you know? But I knew I liked it.. liked her. She's just funny and really, really crazily smart, even though she plays dumb. And she can get bitchy and self-absorbed but it's not real, it's just a big joke you know? She puts on that face because it's disarming. Did you know she volunteers at the animal shelter like every weekend? I'm not sure if she still does now but when I was still going to Barden, she went every single weekend, Chloe. She took me there sometimes and she introduced me to all the new animals they got each month. And sometimes she'd bring out the newest puppy for me to play with and we'd just sit there and play with puppies and kittens, and it was just sweet you know? And when we weren't at the shelter, we would just hang out. Whenever I wasn't hanging out with you I was probably with her, probably studying or just talking I guess. And like I said, it wasn't anything, we just flirted endlessly. But then.. remember the ICCA's after party at the hotel? We all got wasted."

"Yes.. well no since I got wasted, since.. Beca and Jesse were- you know what happened- but yes I vaguely remember going to that."

"Yeah, well we were all really drunk, Chlo. And in case you've forgotten, I was by your side most of the time comforting you like the greatest best friend ever."

"Yes, yes, thank you, get on with it."

"Okay, well then you passed out on the couch along with mostly everyone else and so Stacie brought me to her room because we were pretty much the only ones left and we didn't want to wake anyone. And so we were in her room just talking and joking and I don't know why she brought her nail supplies with her on that trip but she did and she.." Aubrey smiled under Chloe's gaze. "She did my nails for me and we were just so drunk, so they looked like crap, really. But somehow she managed to finish them and I couldn't stop laughing because they just looked so bad but then next thing I knew.. she was kissing me and.. I was kissing her back.. and it felt so surreal, like sometimes I'll think about it and wonder if it actually happened and it totally did. And so we're sitting there, making out and suddenly we were both just.. having sex. And it was like the greatest sex I have ever had, even though I got nail polish in my hair and her hair and just.. everywhere.. I'm telling you Chlo, mind blowing sex-"

"Okay I get it, Bree. Mind blowing sex, please, for the love of- just move on."

"Yeah, okay sorry. But yeah, so that's how it started.. I woke up the next morning naked in her bed and I panicked because I have never even kissed a girl before, let alone had sex with one, and so I ran, I avoided her, sat as far away from her as I could on the ride back. And I remember my dad always being homophobic- throughout my entire childhood, Chloe, he was just.. filled with so much hate. So, I couldn't. I couldn't even think about exploring that side of me. So I ignored the feeling and went out every chance I got and I remember going to a concert like a couple weeks later and that's where I met Luke. And I told him that I was one of those a cappella girls and he laughed in my face and teased me to no end and of course I defended myself but then, halfway through the night, he stopped and looked at me and apologized. He told me that he thought that the fact that I didn't give a crap about what he thought about a cappella girls was inspiring. So, he asked me out for a coffee and you know with everything that happened with Stacie, I was still scrambling to get my shit together, so I agreed.. and I thought he was sweet so we talked and then we dated and then a month became three years and then I-.. he proposed."

"Okay, but what about Stacie?"

"After I graduated we kind of lost touch but we started talking again about two years ago.. Just reconnected again. And.. Chloe, I am in a shit load of trouble because I think I fit with her.. I fit with Stacie. I mean, I fit with Luke too, but I fit better with her. I know I do. I've never, not once cheated on Luke, Stacie and I have only done it that one time. But ever since we started talking again, the feeling came back and it's like nothing changed. I've been planning to end it with Luke for a while to try it with Stacie, I've been trying to find the right time but everything has been good between us.. I have wanted to tell my dad to go shove it and I was going to break up with Luke but he proposed and I couldn't say no to him. And now, it's too late."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it's too late-"

"No, what do you mean by 'but everything has been good between you'?"

"Exactly that-"

Chloe slapped her hand on the table and leaned closer. "Aubrey Posen! You are a human being and you are allowed to want more! Just because things are good, doesn't mean you can't end it. You're not obligated to stay in a relationship just because you have don't have a good enough reason to leave. If you want to leave, you can, whenever you want! And no one has any right to judge you for that! And no one has any right to try to force you to stay! If he's not good enough for you, then you go out and you find that someone who is! You can do that, you know? There's no rule book for this kind of thing."

"I don't know.."

Chloe reached out and squeezed Aubrey's hand tightly. "You don't need to feel guilty for wanting more, Bree."

"You think so?"

"I know so!"

".. Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right! I'm always right!"

"You kind of are.."

Chloe smiled. "Thank you for telling me, Bree."

"I had to sooner or later. Otherwise you would've killed me."

"Yeah, probably. So, are you like.. bi then?"

"I don't know, Chlo. I like who I like and that's it. I don't pay attention to their gender. Does it really even matter?"

"I guess not."

"Is that all you wanted to know?"

"That depends. Is that everything?"

Maybe Chloe didn't see the hesitation in Aubrey's eyes when she said ".. Yes." because she was tipsy.

"Okay. Then yeah."

"What do you think?"

Chloe took a gulp of water before standing. "You know what I think. I think you need to close your eyes and jump off the bridge, Bree. Rip the band aid off! You love her more than him! How could you hurt her like that? Stop hurting her! You love her but you're hurting her! Stop being so stupid!" She yelled in Aubrey's face before disappearing into the crowd again.

Beca spotted Chloe weaving through the crowd with two glasses in hand and smiled. "It's about time!"

"You could have came with me you know."

"You're the one who told me to stay put!"

"Yeah, but you were supposed to say 'no Chloe, I'll come with you' or at least something like that."

"Whatever! I offered, you declined, I'm not going to beg you to let me accompany you."

"I'd beg you to let me accompany you."

"Yeah, well we are two different people, Red. I don't beg." Beca grinned as she took a glass from Chloe and took a long swig. "Water tastes so good. But it tastes like nothing-"

"You beg all the time!"

"No I don't!"

Chloe tilted her head, unconvinced. "Remember when we went to the Lodge of Fallen Leaves? And you got caught in that bear trap."

"Okay, but that was life and death!"

"What about that time I wouldn't order pizza for you and you practically almost cried?"

"That- That was life and death too!"

"Sure, okay."

"Okay, fine. Forget I said anything. Would you just stop talking and dance with me?!"

Chloe managed to squeeze in one booty shake before the song stopped and the DJ tapped on the microphone.

"Hey guy! How are you guys doing tonight?!"

The crowd cheered in response.

"Yeah! You guys are great! And I know you guys just want to grind on each other right now but here's the deal! Two of my best friends just got married to each other and I think that they deserve a shout out, don't you think?!"

Again the crowd cheered.

"I apologize, I know this isn't protocol but they're my best friends and I just love them so much and you guys are cool. So, forgive me? Let's slow it down, yeah? Everyone let's just slow dance. This one's for my favorite couple, you know who you are! Hey, you know what?! You guys get up here and slow dance for us, guys! Sing along if you can everybody!"

They watched the newlyweds climb onto the stage and wave to the cheering crowd. Each smiling a thousand watt smiles.

The crowd erupted into aw's when they recognized the song but quickly quieted down to find their partners.

Instinctively, Chloe's hand found Beca's as the couple came together to slow dance on stage.

**There's a calm surrender to the rush of day**  
When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away  
An enchanted moment, and it sees me through  
It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you

Chloe had gotten lost watching the couple on stage whisper sweet nothing's in each other's ears.  
She was brought back to reality when she heard Beca sniffle beside her.

"You're crying, Beca." She smiled sweetly at the brunette.

"Shut up.. You know I'm always a slut for Elton John."

Chloe lightly chuckled before glancing at the slow dancing mass of people surrounding them. "I think we should dance."

Beca nodded as Chloe pulled her into her arms.

And can you feel the love tonight?  
It is where we are  
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer  
That we got this far

"This is dumb." Beca chuckled, wiping her tears before burying her face into Chloe's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around the redhead's neck as she felt Chloe's hands snake around her waist.

"You're the one that's crying, Beca."

"I know." She whispered as they rocked together. "Because it's so dumb."

"I know you secretly love this so shut up and just feel it okay?"

".. Yeah, okay."

**And can you feel the love tonight?**  
How it's laid to rest  
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds  
Believe the very best

Chloe nudged her shoulder to get the brunette to look up as she sang along to the song.

"It's enough to make kings and vagabonds  
Believe the very best"

She smiled a smile that jump started Beca's heart, similar to the one she used at the activities fair when they first met, similar to the one permanently embedded into Beca's memory.

The brunette's chin came to rest on Chloe's shoulder again when the song ended, she was sure that if she kept staring at Chloe's lips, she'd probably pass out.

"Alright, guys! Thank you so much for letting me do that! How 'bout one more cheer for the couple?!"

Chloe felt Beca's arms wrap tighter around her neck as the crowd erupted again.

"You're going to kiss me today, Beca." Chloe said softly, making sure Beca couldn't hear her over the roaring crowd. "I know it."

"Yeah! Alright let's speed things up again!"

Beca finally pulled away when she physically felt the bass drop and the floor shake as the crowd began dancing again.

"Damn."

"You okay?" Chloe asked closely, watching the brunette wipe her tears.

"Yeah, shut up."

"Okay." She smiled, feeling her stomach do back flips when Beca looked back up at her and smirked. "Hey, I'm going to tell you a secret today, okay?"

"A secret?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. When?"

"Once we get back to the motel. Okay?"

Beca nodded. "Okay."

* * *

"I think I'm done." Beca panted with one hand propped on her knees and the other waving for Chloe to stop bouncing.

"What? Noo!" Chloe grabbed her hands and whipped them in an attempt to get her moving again. "Beca, I'm still going strong! Beca, please!"

"Chloe, it's three in the goddamn morning! I'm fucking exhausted! Come on, let's go. Are you still buzzed?" She watched Chloe slowly blink and smiled. "Of course you are. You can sleep on the bus. Come on, let's go, I'm pretty sure they're all waiting for us."

"Fine.. but you have to carry me to the booth then. I'm too drunk to walk."

"You just got done saying you were still going strong, what happened?"

"I-I can't read suddenly, I don't know."

"Chloe!"

"What?" Chloe giggled.

"Ugh fine! Hurry up." Beca groaned before turning around and letting Chloe hop onto her back.

"Onward, Nessie!"

"Shut it!" Beca snaked through the crowd, coming to a stop when she spotted Aubrey and Stacie seated in the booth, looking like they just had a very serious discussion judging by the look in Aubrey's eyes. "Are you guys ready to go?"

"Yeah, everyone's on the bus or in the bathroom. They already grabbed all our stuff." Stacie drunkenly replied.

"Let's go already!" Chloe yelled.

Aubrey waved them off and stood. "Yeah, go ahead guys, I'll meet you on the bus. I need to pee first."

They nodded at each other and stepped out into the warm night air.

"Finally!" Amy yelled as Beca climbed onto the bus and helped Chloe into her seat.

Beca rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Amy."

"Where's Aubrey?"

"She went to the restroom." Stacie yawned as she slumped into her seat across from Beca and Chloe.

Beca tensed when she felt Chloe nuzzle into her shoulder and snake her arms around her waist. PDA was never her thing but did this even count as PDA? She was sure that if the rest of the girls weren't all wasted right now, they would be shoving this in her face with side glances and cheeky grins. "Um.. Chlo?"

"Hmm?"

She watched the redhead slowly look up with her tired eyes and suddenly felt a pang of guilt for even disturbing her. "Nothing. Go to sleep." She pulled the redhead closer and smiled.

"Okay." Chloe whispered, smiling against Beca's collarbone.

Beca watched Aubrey quietly climb onto the bus. She thought the blonde was looking a bit worried but honestly, who was she to ask about it? Still, she shot the blonde a concerned look but figured it for nothing when Aubrey smiled back.

The ride back to the motel was quiet after they had dropped Aubrey off at her house. Beca blinked her eyes open when the bus pulled up into the motel lot, it was cold suddenly, maybe the driver had turned the AC a bit too low. She didn't bother to wake Chloe, who was slumped over with her head resting on her lap, before pulling the redhead up by her arm and wrapping it around her neck to hold her up. She had to kick a few of them awake as they made their way towards the front of the bus.

"Hm?" Chloe's eyes fluttered open as they climbed down the steps.

"Shh.." Beca was shivering from the cold bus ride.

"Where did everybody go?" The redhead whispered, walking on her own now but still leaning against Beca for equal parts warmth and balance.

"To sleep." Beca whispered back as she unlocked the door to their room.

"Oh, good." They stumbled into the room and Chloe giggled as she fell onto the mattress. Beca lingered with her back against the door as she blindly turned the deadbolt behind her. "Come here, Becs." She yawned, crawling higher onto the bed before flipping over and beckoning her closer with a finger and a wink.

"Go to sleep. You're drunk."

"No, I'm not. It wore off.. mostly. I'm like ninety five percent sober. I just seem drunk because I'm tired." Chloe blinked herself awake before shaking her head. "Come on, I want to talk to you. I need to talk to you. It's a matter of the utmost importance." She reached out for the brunette and smiled when Beca complied. "Plus, I can't sleep in jeans." Chloe stretched and yawned, going out of her way to shove a hand in Beca's face and flick her nose a few times. She giggled when the brunette quickly caught her hand and softly bit into her knuckle.

They both propped themselves on their elbows and took each other in for the first time that day, tired but still smiling at each other.

They laid there in the silence for a while, just watching each other breathe, and watching each other's tired eyes wander their faces.

Beca would totally say that Chloe looked like shit if she wasn't mesmerized by the fact that Chloe's shit look was still hands down jaw-droppingly beautiful. Her red hair was frazzled and limp but Beca still wanted to bury her face in it. Her eyes were gleaming and hooded with sleepiness but they were still brighter than she'd ever seen them. And most of Chloe's lipstick had disappeared through the night but Beca had always loved the natural color of Chloe's lips.

And Beca looked like shit too. She knew it. Chloe knew it. Her eyeliner was a little smudged on the outer corner of her left eye but Chloe was still melting under Beca's bold gaze. She was starting to get bags under her eyes from being up too long but Chloe thought that added character, a certain type of depth that she already knew existed in Beca. And the color from her face had scurried from the cold of the bus but Chloe was there to slowly lure it back into her cheeks.

"Did you have fun today?" Beca finally asked, smiling when Chloe happily nodded. "Good."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, even though I barely only had half a drink."

"Doesn't mean you weren't still a little buzzed."

"You're point being?"

"Nothing.. I'm glad you had fun." Chloe slowly closed her eyes as she felt Beca's eyes on her. "You deserve to be happy.." She yawned. "I need to tell you my secret, Becs."

"Oh yeah, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"I don't know. I think I'm having second thoughts." Chloe smiled. This is what she was waiting for all night, but a little begging never hurt anyone.

"That's fucked up."

"Yeah, you're right."

Chloe opened her eyes again and met Beca's soft smile, feeling it make her chest rise at the anticipation. But her expression quickly grew serious as the events of the past few days snuck into her train of thought.

"Before I tell you anything, we need to get one thing out of the way first." Chloe whispered closely before lying flat on her back to stare up at Beca who was now leaning over her side.

"Okay, go ahead."

"I.." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes again. "I need to apologize for this past week. I'm just.. I'm sorry. About everything. Making stupid side comments about nothing. Brushing you off. Giving you a hard time this whole week. I'm really sorry I put you through that. It was all my fault.. I know I messed up." Beca could tell Chloe was going to cry judging by the frown that was growing bigger with each word. ".. I hurt you, didn't I? I told Bree today to stop hurting Stacie but.. I've been hurting you this whole time. I'm a hypocrite." She breathed out before softly gasping for air. "I called you a coward but you're not, Beca. You're like the single bravest person I know. You always stand up for what you believe in, and you never hesitate to call someone out on their bullshit. But I was mad so I called you a coward.. and I'm sorry."

"When did you call me a coward?"

"Beca.."

"Sorry, okay.. Chloe.." Beca softly nudged her with her arm to get her to finally look up. "It's okay, really." She whispered closely.

"You can't not be mad at me, Beca."

"I don't care about whatever you called me okay? I know you didn't mean it."

"No, you have to be mad at me. If not about that then how about everything else? I should be mad. I was accepting it at first but I can't anymore, it doesn't feel right. I don't deserve to be this easily forgiven. Yell at me for Christ's sake. You can't just be okay after all that. I know you, you're probably just bottling it all up again.. All of your feelings are valid. It's okay to get mad at me. Talk to me, Beca. I know you haven't forgiven me yet." Beca swallowed hard, noticing the desperation in Chloe's eyes. "Please? We're never going to be okay if we keep keeping all these secrets from each other."

"Okay fine," She nodded, finally finding the courage to say what she really wanted to say for the first time in days. "You wanna know how this past week made me feel? It made me feel like shit, okay? Like.. not even quality shit used for fertilizing, like **shit** , Chlo. And yeah, I was fucking mad! I was furious! Because I tried to talk to you. I tried to be there to listen but you shrugged me off like I was the last person you wanted to talk to. And that fucking hurt, Chlo. And yeah, I fucked up, I don't know how, but apparently I did but then again how would I know when you wouldn't tell me anything? Like, you gave me nothing, Chlo. And then, I blink and apparently, it's over?! Just like that?! With no explanation?! You tell me to piss off one day and turn around and smile at me like nothing even happened the next? I don't get it! You're right, you had no right to close off on me like that. Chloe, we're so fucking close okay? You can't- you can't do that to me. We're past that. Way fucking past it. Four years past that."

"I know.."

"I promised you that I wasn't going to close off from you but I never made you promise that mostly because I never thought in a hundred years that you would. But now that I've experienced that, now that I know what that feels like, I.. I never want that to happen again. Okay? I'm not saying you can't get mad at me ever again, I'm saying you can't shut me out. Okay? Go ahead, get mad at me if I fuck up again, yell at me, scream in my face if you need to. But as long as you're talking to me.." Beca's eyes quickly darted between Chloe's. "Then, I think I'll be okay.. Okay?"

"Okay.. I'm sorry, Becs." The redhead sniffled as she nestled closer to Beca. "I really am."

"Just.. don't do it again okay? I'm making you promise now."

"Okay, I promise."

"Okay.. So, we're good now. I forgave you and you forgave me." Beca smiled sadly after taking a deep, unsteady breath. "We're okay. Right? We're okay now."

Chloe stared back, eyes wide like a puppy, gleaming in the faint light of the room, glistening with tears. "You're so good to me." She whispered, grabbing Beca's hand when the brunette tried to look away again. "Listen.. You're so quick to forgive me.. I don't think I deserve someone like you in my life."

"You don't mean that-"

"I do." She squeezed Beca's hand. "I do, Beca. You're too good to me.. I don't deserve any of it."

"You keep saying that. Stop saying that."

"I keep saying it because it's true."

"No it's not, Chlo. It's not, okay? How could you even think that? What could I possibly be doing to make you think that?" Beca peered into her eyes before shrugging. "I'm not doing anything, Chlo."

"You're doing absolutely everything, Beca." She breathed out.

"Like what?"

"Like what? Like what?!" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Did you just ask me that? Oh my god, you're so stupid. I shouldn't have to answer that.. it's everything you do, Beca. And you don't even see it. You leave me feeling so confused all the time."

".. I'm sorry if I'm confusing. I'm not doing it on purpose, I promise. I confuse myself sometimes too."

Beca laid her arm down to rest her head. It felt quiet suddenly, the only sound being Chloe's soft breathing in sync with her own, the hum of her heartbeat in her ears and the faint buzz from the dim light bulb across the room.

"Oh, man. I'm going to cry. You don't see it, Beca."

"Don't cry, if you cry, then I'll cry. I've already cried once today, if it happens again, I'll never forgive myself." Beca quickly wiped the rebel tear that dared to stream down Chloe's face. "Please, Chloe don't cry.. I can't handle it when you cry."

"Okay.." Chloe blinked back the tears and sniffled.

Beca smiled at the effort. "You okay?"

"Yeah, um.. Last time I tried telling you was at the corn maze.. but you wouldn't listen. And I tried to get you to stop, but you wouldn't." Chloe chuckled. "You just kept walking like an idiot."

"Is that why you left me? 'Cause everyone was there?"

Chloe nodded, lips caught between her teeth.

"Well, you can tell me now right? We're alone. Everyone's probably asleep. I can keep a secret. Remember when I met Snoop Dogg?"

Chloe's brows knitted together. "You met Snoop Dogg?"

"See?" Chloe lightly slapped her arm before finding Beca's hand again to hold. "Not to mention that whole intern thing."

"Don't remind me."

"Come on, Chlo. You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know.."

"I promise I will keep my lips sealed for as long as you want them to be. Just say the word."

Beca's brows furrowed together again when Chloe shook her head.

".. But that's the thing, Beca." She breathed out, meeting Beca's soft eyes again. "I don't want you to keep it a secret. I want you to take it.. and tell all our friends and family, and I want you to shout it from the rooftops, and I want you to show it off to the world, but.. for the longest time I didn't know if you wanted to do that. So, I tried pushing past it, on multiple occasions. I tried giving up. But that didn't go very well, it was probably the dumbest thing I have ever come up with. So now, I just.. I'm giving in. I'm jumping off the bridge because Aubrey told me to. I just wanted it to be perfect first. I wanted it to be.. perfect. Is that so bad?"

"Wait, giving up? Giving up on.." Her eyes slightly widened as she felt her stomach jump. "

On-"

"What else, Beca?! What else? What could I possibly be talking about, right? What was I talking about that day?" She squeezed her hand and smiled. "Think, Beca. Sometimes I think neither of us really stop to think about what we have here."

And there goes those butterflies again. Fluttering in beat to Beca's tiny, seizing heart.

"I-I'm not sure I know what you mean, Chloe."

"There you go, doing it again. You know exactly what I mean. I know you do. Denial, with a side of denial, oh and a sprinkle of.. you guessed it, denial. Sometimes I think that's all we are."

"W-"

"Just connect the dots, Beca." Chloe pleaded with a quiet whisper. "It's right in front of you. It's been right in front of you. It's not that hard to see.. I'm right in front of you."

".. You-"

"Why did you walk away that day?" Her voice cracked when she asked it, if the hurt in her eyes wasn't enough indication for the brunette, that sure was. "I know you knew what I wanted to talk about.. Why did you leave me?"

Beca swallowed down her heart that she felt jumping in her throat and stammered out a pathetic reply. "I-.. I don't know? I just.. I don't know, Chlo. I'm sorry. It's kind of what I do. I know I need to stop. I just couldn't, I'm sorry."

Chloe nodded, unsure if she liked Beca's answer.

She slowly flipped over onto her side to fully face Beca again.

"And why do you always look away?"

"What?"

"You always look away, every single time. Honestly, it gets me so mad sometimes, Beca. You always look away. Why is that? Why do you always do all these stupid things? You're always either looking away, or shying away or walking away.. Away from me. Why, Beca? Did I read this wrong? Am I wrong? Because if I am, please tell me.. Do you not want this?"

"I-.. I do, Chlo." Beca's mouth was dry from her heavy breathing. "I do-"

"Then why do you let me hold your hand but only when it's behind our backs or when there's no one around to see? Why do you only kiss me when you think I'm asleep and won't know? Why do you flirt with me all the time, and force yourself to believe that that's what friends do? Why do you-.. Beca, why do you look at me the way you do, lingering like you're going to kiss me and pretend like we both don't feel it? Are you scared? I know you hate corny lines but.. I'm scared too, Becs. I'm scared of giving it a real shot and having it fall apart despite my best efforts. I'm scared that if it doesn't work, it'll ruin everything we have because what we have is something writers write about, it's something singers sing about.. And I'm scared of not being able to turn back ever again but here I am, because I'm-.. terrified of missing my chance at this, at us, because I know we could be good, Beca. We could be.. **so** good. And it's always better to be scared with someone right? Especially with someone you're close to.. especially with someone you love."

Beca was quiet, still staring into Chloe's eyes. Chloe was right. She always looks away. She wanted to look away now. But she couldn't, not this time. Chloe's eyes were locked on hers, and hers locked on Chloe's. She felt Chloe's hot breath on her lips, she still smelled like alcohol but that wasn't why it was so intoxicating. And everything Chloe was saying was everything she had been waiting for, and she would cry right now if she wasn't stuck.

"It's not that crazy.. is it?" Chloe whispered. "You said this morning that it was crazy.. but Beca," Chloe squeezed her hand again and smiled. "We're so good together, I think it was kind of meant to happen this way.. Don't you think? I'd be surprised if it didn't. I think I only took this long because-.. because I could. You know? You're not going anywhere, I got by with where we were and I didn't want to take that risk. But, I want more and I don't care anymore. I mean, I do but.. Becs, I'm just so tired. I know you want this too. I just don't understand why you keep lying to yourself. What have you been waiting for? I know, technically, it hasn't even been two months since Jesse but, it doesn't feel that way right? It doesn't feel that way to me. Jesse feels like forever ago.. Forever, Beca. Tell me I'm wrong." Chloe took a chance to breathe as Beca softly nodded. "I need to know if you're ready yet. If you're as tired as I am. Aren't you tired, Beca?" She whispered, bringing Beca's hands to her lips to place a soft kiss on her knuckle. "Because I'm.. so tired." She breathed out. "And I'm done pretending like I don't want you, because it's so hard.." She wiped her tears before holding Beca's hand again. "I think I could make you happy. And you could make me happy, like you always have.. And then we'd be happy together."

She blinked and turned over the brunette's hand, gently kissing the inside of her palm before letting it rest on the side of her face. She felt Beca's fingers lightly tickle her neck as they came to softly pinch at her earlobe and trail up and around her ear before laying on her neck again. Slowly, she pulled Beca's hand down, holding it to her chest and inching closer, carefully watching Beca's expression as they both felt the pounding in her chest.

"For once, can you not look away? Can you do that for me? For you?" She reached forward to push a strand of hair behind Beca's ear as the brunette softly nodded. "Don't walk away this time." She rested her hand on the nape of Beca's neck and crept closer. "Don't move." She whispered.

She stretched her neck up and kissed Beca's forehead, lingering as she inhaled. She pulled back to look at Beca again, carefully regulating her breathing. She wasn't protesting. Chloe took that as a green light and continued. Again, she reached out and laid a kiss on Beca's cheek this time, taking another deep breath before laying back down and looking into Beca's stormy eyes.

She could go on like this forever, she thought; kissing Beca and listening to how subtly her breath would quicken each time.

She lifted her head again and leaned forward, pushing Beca's hair out of the way so she could softly place a kiss on her neck, right behind the brunette's jaw and under her ear.

_One more._

She swallowed hard after noticing Beca was holding her breath.

She intertwined their legs and closed her eyes before leaning in again, resting her forehead on Beca's.

Beca would have kissed her first if the anticipation hadn't paralyzed her.

"Beca?"

"..Y-yeah?"

"I'll leave the rest up to you.. but please don't kiss me unless you're ready."

She's never thought she'd hear those words come from Chloe's lips. She never thought she needed to hear those words from Chloe. But now that she has, it's like she was born for this. Like her reason for living was to hear Chloe Beale say "Kiss me." granted, she said "Don't kiss me" but still.. Beca was more sure about this than anything in the entire world.

She didn't need to be told twice.

She was hesitant at first, not sure if she could step up to the plate now that Chloe put her on the spot.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and inched her lips closer to Chloe's.

But she stopped before their lips touched. And she opened her eyes again before slowly pulling back.

She watched Chloe's brows furrow together and listened to the heart wrenching hitch in the redhead's breath.

Chloe kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see Beca again as her hand dropped from the brunette's neck. "I'm sorry-"

"Chloe.." Beca breathed out. "Trust me. Okay?"

She smiled when Chloe nodded.

"Open your eyes." She whispered closely, eyes scanning the redhead's face as her eyes fluttered open. She waited patiently for them to work their way up to meet her own. They locked gazes and Chloe frowned again.

"You're confusing me again-"

"Shh.. Just trust me."

Beca smirked, pulling Chloe's now free hand to her lips, mirroring the kisses Chloe just gave her. One kiss on the redhead's knuckle, and one kiss on the inside of her palm. She brought the hand up to let it rest against her chest before leaning closer and lightly pressing her lips against Chloe's forehead, and moving down to kiss her cheek, taking her sweet time as she cradled the redhead's face.

Softly, she brushed Chloe's hair off of her neck with her fingertips and reached forward to place a long, gentle kiss on the redhead's neck, right behind her jawline and under her ear. She felt Chloe's chest rise against her and smiled against the redhead's skin when she felt Chloe's neck tense at the tickle of her mouth.

She laid back down, keeping the tip of her nose in constant contact with Chloe's skin like a magnet sliding across a metal surface until she reached the tip of Chloe's nose. She pulled back, watching Chloe's eyes dart between hers and her lips as they both took a deep breath.

"Can I kiss you now?" She smiled. "I think I'm ready."

Chloe quickly nodded.

She gently combed the redhead's hair out of the way before cradling her face and leaning closer.

It wasn't a kiss at first. Just Chloe breathing on her lips as their noses softly brushed against each other.

The light graze of Chloe's lips against hers sent shocks through her body as quickly as they left.

Again, another breath.

And another soft tickle of their lips, this time not leaving.

Until her lips were pressing against Chloe's. Until her entire body was pressing against Chloe's. And Chloe's pulling her closer by the grip on her neck and she doesn't think she could get any closer, she doesn't think she could **touch** Chloe any more than she already is but the way Chloe is tugging at her is making her think that the redhead thinks otherwise. And she wants to gasp for air, she needs to gasp for air, because both her nose and her mouth are pressed into Chloe, but she's forgotten how to and she doesn't want to pull away anyways, and if she had to die from suffocation, this is how she wants it to happen. And Chloe's lips are softer than she ever could have imagined but she wants them to push harder. She wants to kiss Chloe until it hurts. And for a second it did, because Chloe was kissing her and pushing her deeper into the bed and pulling her closer all at the same time. And they're both pushing and pressing and tugging and clinging on each other's lips and waists and faces and everything in between, and yeah, it hurts a little. The long shaky sigh that escaped Chloe's lips reminded her how to breathe again as she finally opened her mouth, feeling the redhead's fingertips release the grip on her neck to lightly graze them up the soft skin, bury in her hair and tug a little at the back of her head.

And slowly the kiss became softer until they were just brushing against each other's lips again, and smiling at the tickle of their noses. Done with the kiss but still wanting to stay close.

Brushing lighter with each graze until they were just breathing each other in again, and tasting each other's breath.

The room was dim, because the motel lighting isn't very good to begin with, but Beca can see how weirdly dark yet contradictingly bright Chloe's eyes were when she finally opened hers after the redhead had pulled back.

And she doesn't think she'd ever seen Chloe blushing so much but she is, and it's cute to see her rarely flustered cheeks so pink and she wants to lean in and kiss her again but she finds herself constantly getting lost in those damn blue orbs Chloe calls her eyes that are as dilated as she'd ever seen them. And her lashes that are so unfairly long that they practically blow Beca away with each reluctant bat.

And she feels like she just jumped off that stupid bridge Chloe kept mentioning, because her adrenaline is pumping, and her chest is rattling with each heartbeat. And she's panting because Chloe just kissed her, and Chloe's panting too because Beca just kissed her.

And they're both shaking a little because they're dazed and high from adrenaline and endorphins and dopamine and everything good like chemical fireworks firing off in their brains and hearts because they just kissed each other back. And they're both reeling, swooning and scrambling for what to do next.

"Holy f-" Beca muffled against Chloe's lips as they crashed into hers again.

It's better the second time because she knows to breathe this time around. But this time, it's her pushing Chloe back into the bed, finally having enough courage, fueled by the heat under skin. And she swears she can feel Chloe's hands everywhere, in her hair but at the same time, reaching around her waist and tugging at the hem of her shirt. And she would have ripped it off herself of she wasn't reveling in the feeling and taste of Chloe's tongue reaching into her mouth and daring to slide against hers.

And she tastes sweeter than she ever could have even imagined despite the hint of alcohol lingering on Chloe's breath. They're breathing heavier with each passing second, because, _fuck Chloe just used her tongue and things just keep escalating_. But Beca was not going to stop now, not unless Chloe wanted her to, and it's Chloe moving things along after all.

And maybe she's getting delirious but she definitely felt Chloe's leg wrapping around hers to pull her closer.

She thanked the Aca-Gods for having ears because the soft moan she physically felt float and hum from Chloe's mouth into her own throat is the greatest thing she had ever heard in her entire life.

So her hands, those hands she was so thankful for right now, holding Chloe's face close, quickly glided down the redhead's neck, taking a second to linger and press against Chloe's breasts before continuing along to tug a little more roughly at her belt than she intended.

And she breathed in the sharp gasp that escaped Chloe's lips just as they parted again to look at each other.

Chloe glanced down at Beca's fingers tucked in the front of her jeans and grinned, causing the brunette to retract her hand faster than she had ever seen her move before. "Whoa there, tiger." She teased after taking a second to catch her breath.

"Sorry, I- Sorry. I got-I didn't want to-.. unless you wanted, not that I would expect you to- I'm not expecting anything.. unless you wanted that- not that I'm pressuring you-"

"You were feeling quite confident there."

"Yeah, well, I think I have a lot of time to make up for.."

"Yeah, I think you do too."

Beca quirked a brow. ".. What does that mean? I don't know what that means."

"Do you think you're ready for that?"

"I hope so. I mean, I might pass out on top of you, just a warning, for your sake-"

"Oh hold on." Chloe pushed the brunette's shoulders into the mattress and rolled onto her, resting both her knees on each side of Beca's waists.

"Oh my God." Beca nervously chuckled.

"On top of me? I think you're mistaken there, Becs."

Beca smiled up at her. "Are you sure about that? Because I can be very generous when I want to.. and it's very rewarding. And if I remember correctly, I was on top of you just now so I wasn't wrong."

"You can be generous?"

"Yeah, I just," Beca licked her lips, watching Chloe's eyes follow her tongue. "I haven't really wanted to until now."

Chloe froze, deciding to take the time for her heart to settle back down before speaking again. "I can be generous too." She winked, marveling in the feeling of Beca's nervous breathing beneath her.

".. I'll fight you for it."

Chloe smirked, pulling Beca's hands above the brunette's head. "Sounds like fun times.." She leaned down to give her Eskimo kisses as she laced their fingers together.

Beca closed her eyes waiting for Chloe's go ahead. "It's up to you." She grinned against Chloe's lips when the redhead leaned down to kiss her again. It was softer this time, soft but so sure. Gentle and simple in a way that felt natural. "Just-.. tell me what you want. And I'll give you everything." She whispered between kisses.

She reached forward with her lips, trying to make it last, when Chloe pulled away and released her hands from her grip.

Chloe shook her head, licking her lips and subtly panting again. "That's really not a good idea.. I think we're getting ahead of ourselves." She slid off the brunette, pulling Beca's hand, that was now stuck on her waist, along with her.

Beca nodded as she quickly pulled her hand away again. "Okay- Yeah.. that's- Yeah, you're right. Sorry."

"Don't apologize." Chloe grinned.

Beca rolled over to face her again. ".. Holy shit. We just kissed."

"Hell yeah, we did."

"With our lips.."

"Yeah.. that's what I was aiming for, Becs."

"Three times! Thrice!"

"I know.." Chloe took a deep labored breath after resting her head on the mattress again. She smiled as she slowly twirled a strand of Beca's hair around her finger. "Today was a really good day.." And Chloe couldn't exactly move anymore, because those were quite literally the best kisses she had ever experienced. All she can really do now is stare and stroke Beca's hair between her fingertips as she caught her breath.

And Beca smiled back because Chloe just kissed her, three times, like she's never been kissed before. And she can't get over it. And she's never felt like this before. Like she made it. Like all their fighting and waiting had led up to this moment, and they both made it.

"Well technically it's after midnight so-"

"Stop ruining it."

"Okay." Beca grinned.

".. You're smiling the biggest smile I have ever seen." Chloe said, biting her lips.

"Yeah, 'cause you just kissed me back.."

"I should do it more often then.. I really like it when you smile."

"I think you should."

"I'm looking forward to it then."

Beca's expression slowly grew serious. ".. I was supposed to kiss you on this past Thursday."

"What?" Chloe dropped her smile.

"The day I didn't come home until around midnight. I was at Jesse's. And he told me to kiss you. But by the time I got home you were asleep."

"W-.. What?!"

"Yeah, I was gonna fucking kiss you, Chlo."

"Why didn't you?!"

"Like I said, you were asleep."

"You could've woken me up."

"Yeah, with Legacy right beside you in bed? I'm not sure if that's the best idea." Beca scooted closer, wedging her arm underneath Chloe's head and softly stroking the redhead's back with her fingertips.

"I could have kicked her out."

"No, you couldn't." Beca chuckled as she stroked the redhead's hair with her free hand before leaning in again and kissing both of Chloe's still damp eyelids. "Salty." She whispered.

"That's gross. I'm sorry I'm salty." Chloe smiled. "Maybe I could tell you when I'm not and we could try that again."

Beca couldn't agree more.

Well, she could have.

Because she couldn't agree with her in the first place.

Because someone had knocked on their door before she could.

She moved to get up but was softly pulled back by Chloe's hand that was desperately gripped around her wrist.

Chloe shook her head and whispered. "Please don't answer it.. we could just stay here and ignore them.. for once."

She glanced at the door before nodding and settling beside the redhead again. ".. Okay." Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe and nuzzled into the redhead's neck as Chloe nestled and intertwined their legs.

Again, another knock.

They both shut their eyes tightly, trying hard to ignore the knocks but the interruption was persistent.

"They should be asleep.. Why aren't they asleep?"

"I'll be right back, okay?" Beca whispered, closely watching Chloe's expression as she tucked Chloe's hair behind her ear. "I'll be right back."

Chloe nodded.

She untangled herself from the redhead and strode angrily to the door, eager to return to the bed where Chloe waited.

"What do you want?! It's four in the goddamn-" Beca swung the door open to find Stacie, panting and fidgeting nervously, red eyed from what Beca would assume was crying.

"I'm sorry it's just- there's no one and-"

"Stacie, what is it?!"

".. I can't find Aubrey."


	27. "That's Not How It Goes"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY LOOK ITS ME AGAIN! THE ASSHOLE THAT LEFT YOU ALL HANGING WITH THAT CLIFFHANGER AND TOOK A BREAK FROM WRITING. lol you guys are too good to me <3 seriously the comments on the last chapter made me feel all fuzzy inside im still not over it tbh. anyways, happy super bowl sunday guys! For those of you who dont care about sports at all and aren't currently watching the game, heres chapter 27. its good to be back btw

".. I can't find Aubrey."

Beca shut her eyes in frustration, praying that when she opened them again, Stacie would be gone and that she was imagining everything that was happening.

But Stacie still stood in the doorway with red eyes when she opened them.

Slow and steady, was the breath she took to try to calm her anger. It wasn't really hard since it wasn't like she'd ever seen Stacie this way. And when she thought about it, she didn't think she'd ever seen Stacie even shed a tear before. Not even when they were graduating, and let's face it, even Beca cried a little. And now this tall, strong, woman is standing before her, with tears streaking down her cheeks and her hands trembling ever so slightly. Her heart ached at the sight.

"Get inside." Shutting the door behind her, she followed Stacie and sat back down beside Chloe. She watched the taller girl pace the floor.

"What happened?" Chloe asked, standing up to try to calm her frenzied friend. "Stacie, why are you crying?"

"I can't find Aubrey."

What Stacie needed Aubrey for at four in the morning, Chloe couldn't know, but she could definitely think of a few things - things she'd disapprove of.

But Aubrey had said that she had never cheated on Luke before. So, why would she now? Was this her last chance before the wedding? No, Aubrey wouldn't do that. Would she?

Chloe blinked. "What? Why would you-"

Stacie took a deep breath and frowned. "Why is it so stuffy in here?"

"What- stuffy?" Beca blushed. "I didn't notice."

"Beca.." Chloe shot Beca a wide eyed glare and a silent 'Shut up' before returning her full attention to the tall brunette. "Stacie, talk to me."

Stacie licked her lips and frowned at the saltiness of her tears. ".. I needed to talk to her. I called her as soon as we got back but she didn't pick up so I-I uh.. I got a cab and I went to her house but her car wasn't there so I called her again and again and she still won't pick up and I don't know where she is and now I'm panicking and I don't know why I'm crying but I am and-"

Beca shook her head. "Aubrey is an adult. She didn't even drink tonight, she's probably fine."

Chloe and Beca glanced at each other. They were both still a bit confused as to what the situation exactly was, and if they were being honest, the simple solution was to simply wait it out. Aubrey would return in time, right?

"Beca's right, Stace." Chloe carefully placed her hands on Stacie's arms, offering the warm comfort she's always willing to share. "She'll be back. Can't you just- I don't know? Leave it 'til morning?"

Stacie pulled out of the redhead's grasp. "Leave it 'til morning? Aren't you worried? At all? She's your best friend!" She gestured to Beca. "And you! Wouldn't you be freaking out if it was Chloe?"

"What does- How do you-? I-.. What?"

Chloe took a step back and snatched her phone from the nightstand after Beca's sad attempt at playing dumb. "Look. Fine. I'll call her right now. Okay?"

Chloe couldn't exactly describe the look Stacie gave her. It was a mixture of amusement, but also disbelief and even a bit of anger? All of that rolled into the face of this Amazon-like woman standing almost an entire head over her. It's not like Chloe was scared of her, she could never be scared of Stacie. It's just that Stacie has quite a presence. And sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, in many different ways, especially when she looked like she was going to explode.

".. I tried that already!" Stacie huffed angrily.

"Stacie, just let her try, okay? You have nothing to lose! Who knows, maybe she'll pick up." Beca shrugged. "Just sit down and take a breath, you're making us all antsy."

She reluctantly complied, bending at the knees but sitting poised enough to be able to jump back up when and if she needed.

They followed Stacie's lead and waited, listening to the ringing from speaker of Chloe's phone.

Beca watched Chloe's tired and concerned eyes slowly blink at the floor. This girl- this woman that she just _kissed_ , Chloe Beale for fucks sake. Someone she's known for a little over four years now; illuminated in this new light that she's never seen before, and it's one that she had only ever dreamed of before. And she sees her from new perspective now, one that she likes, very much- too much even. _Chloe_ , who's sitting right beside her, exhausted from the long day, sticky with cooled sweat, but still glowing from _that fucking kiss_. That marvelous kiss that's still so fresh in her mind that she's remembering the feeling just by staring at those lips that are curled at the corner under Chloe's pearly white canine.

She wanted to focus on finding Aubrey but she couldn't help smirking, just a little, when the redhead glanced up at her and discreetly brought a finger to her lips to shush her with the most luring eyes that made her want to never blink again.

"Chloe?" Aubrey's quiet voice floated in.

The three sprung from their seats. Stacie, to try and snatch the phone from the redhead. Beca, to try to hold the significantly taller brunette away. And Chloe, to excuse herself from the room for privacy.

"Where are you going?!" Stacie easily hollered over Beca's head.

Chloe brought her phone to her chest and covered the microphone. "She obviously doesn't want to talk to you, Stace. Just calm down and let me handle it, okay?"

Beca waited for the redhead to leave the room before giving Stacie some space. "Look, you came to us for help. So let us help. Okay?! Just.. go have some of that shitty coffee and make me a cup too.. I think I'm gonna need it."

"Bree?" Chloe paced the empty parking space beside her car.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" She asked. It was the calm before the storm.

"Yeah? Why? What-"

"What? What?!" She seethed at the lack of concern in the blonde's voice. "You cannot be asking-"

"What? Why are you so angry?"

"Where the hell are you?!"

".. How do you-"

"Stacie went to your stupid house and guess what?! You're not there! So, I'll ask again! Where are you?!"

".. I'm at the lake, Jesus Christ-"

"I'm coming to get you."

"Chloe-"

"Shut up. You don't get to do this okay? I get it, you're going through a lot. But I've always been here for you and not once have you accepted my help. So now! Now, you don't get to wake everyone up at four in the morning and have us all worried-"

"Chloe! I'm not- how was I supposed to know Stacie would try to do that?!"

"I'm coming to get you. Which side of the lake?"

"I don't need you to come get me, I can go home on my own-"

"Which side of the goddamn lake, Aubrey?!"

"The dock! I'm at the lodge.. And look, when you get here, can you not yell or be loud, just keep it to a whisper, okay? There are folks camping and it's bad for business-"

"Oh my God, are you kidding me right now?! I'll call you when I get there. Don't move." She gritted through her teeth.

"I won't."

Chloe ended the call and spun around on her toes just as Beca was quietly squeezing herself out of the room.

"What'd she say?" Beca asked softly.

The redhead sighed. "She's at the lodge. On the dock.. I'm going to get her." She made a move to pass Beca but stopped when she felt the brunette's hand on her waist.

"Whoa, what?" Beca forced a smile in an attempt to lighten the mood as if what Chloe said was some kind of a joke. "No, you're not."

"What? Yes, I am?" Chloe shifted and glided into the room to look for her keys. "Are you kidding me right now? How could you even say that?"

"You're not going, Chlo." Beca followed.

"Do you know where she is?" Stacie sat her cup of coffee aside and stood from her seat on the bed. "Are you going to get her? I'm going too."

"No, you're not! Neither of you are going! Both of you just need to sit the hell down because Stacie, you're still fucking drunk as shit. And she doesn't want to talk to you anyways so if you go- that's just all bad. And Chloe, you are about five minutes from passing out. Plus, you got blackout drunk today so I'm not letting you drive anywhere! And I don't like it when you drive at night anyways."

"What? I'm a great driver at night!"

Beca scoffed. "You're not even a decent driver during the day! Remember that one time we were stopped at a red light and the light turned green all the way on the next block, and you went?! Because I remember that like it was yesterday! My entire life was flashing before my eyes! You're so lucky that street didn't have any cameras. God knows how the hell you got your license if I'm being honest!"

Chloe frowned at her. "That's so not fair! It was a long day!"

"It was morning! We had just gotten Starbucks! You had a fresh cup of an iced vanilla latte with extra caramel in you!"

"Why'd you have to go and mention that one time though?"

"Oh I'm sorry, would you prefer one of the other fifty times we almost died because you were behind the wheel?"

"Guys?" Both of their heads swiveled towards Stacie in unison. "Um.. we kind of have a situation here?"

"Stacie's right, Beca. Stop being an asshole."

"You're both not going." Beca crossed her arms defiantly and stared up at the two taller girls with her jaw clenched tightly. "I'm serious."

".. So, what.. You're going?" Chloe tilted her head expectantly after finally finding her keys in the drawer of the nightstand. "You?"

She puffed out her chest and held her chin a little bit higher. "You said the dock, right? I got it. I'll get her. Okay?! I'll fucking get her." She stepped forward and slowly pulled the bulky keys from the redhead's reluctant grip. "I'll text you when I find her." Beca forced a smirk and quickly gave her a two finger salute along with a wink before shuffling off.

"I'm going with you, Beca." Chloe followed her out the door after gesturing for Stacie to sit back down. "You can drive. But I'm going too."

"No, you're not." Beca pivoted on her toes and smiled at the redhead who was shutting the door. "You need to stay and keep an eye on her. Who knows how many more nights she'll ruin."

"She didn't ruin it, she couldn't have ruined it if she tried." Chloe leaned in closer and whispered. "I got what I wanted."

"Oh, yeah?" Beca teased as she back pedaled to the driver side door.

Chloe nodded before shaking her head to snap out of her Beca-daze. "Okay-sorry but seriously, back to the issue.. I don't like this, Becs. You're tired. Aren't you always on my ass about safe driving? I need to be there to help keep you alert."

"I'm fine. I am wide awake! I had a little sip of that shitty excuse for coffee.. Don't worry. Okay?" Beca hopped into the car and shot her a thumbs up after starting the engine. "I got this." She mouthed.

".. Fine. But be safe.. And quick!" Chloe sadly waved at her as the car slowly backed out of the spot. "-Wait!" The sudden light bulb going off in her head made her jump in equal parts surprise and excitement. She ran over to the car and crouched down. The four seconds it took for the car window to roll down was all she had for mental preparation. "Um, maybe," She chuckled quietly, suddenly feeling sheepish. "Maybe after all of this is over and we go back home.. We could have like an official.." She shrugged. "An official date?"

Beca smiled. " _A date_?"

"Yeah.. a date."

_A date?_

_With Chloe?_

_**Oh, fuck yes.** _

"No offense to your intelligence or anything like that.. but that just might be the best idea you have ever had in the history of-like forever."

"Yeah?" Chloe chuckled before softly chewing on her bottom lip.

"Yeah, definitely."

".. I think so too." She felt her chest rise with excitement. "Wait is that a yes? Just to be clear, I wanna hear you say yes, Chloe I will go on a date with you."

"Yes." The brunette laughed. "Yes- Fuck yes, Chlo, I will go on a date with you." She smirked.

"Okay.. cool."

"Cool?"

"Fantastic." Chloe nodded.

"So.. we'll figure it out? Yeah?"

"Yeah." She grinned. "Yeah. We'll figure it out." Chloe moved to step back but stopped halfway. "Um-wait. I feel like I should.. Can I um, I just-," Beca's patient gaze was all the reassurance she needed for her lips to instinctively find its way to Beca's again. It lasted a little longer than she had originally intended but she wasn't complaining since, yep, kissing Beca still feels _fantastic_ \- not that she was expecting anything less. She wanted to get lost in the maze of Beca's mouth again, more than anything, but reluctantly pulled away after images of a certain dramatically sad blonde all alone at a lake flashed through her mind. ".. Nice." She whispered, licking her lips. "Please hurry."

Beca took had to take a second for her brain to signal for her tongue to switch tasks from kissing to actually being able to use words again. ".. Shit-Yeah.. Back in a flash."

Chloe finally gave room for the car to pull out and drive off. She watched it leave before quickly returning to the room.

"I don't understand why you guys couldn't just let me go too." Stacie paced the floor with her coffee in hand and a palm pressed against her chest to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest.

"There are people at the lodge, do you want Aubrey to lose her job? Just relax, they'll be here soon."

"It's not like I would have caused a scene."

Chloe quirked a doubtful brow. "Sure, Stace. Whatever you say.. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Stacie sighed. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Okay, she's gonna be okay, Stace. They'll be back soon.. I'm gonna take a quick nap. Please don't get into any trouble while I'm asleep, can you do that for me?"

* * *

"Made.. contact.. currently.. engaging.. over." Beca whispered as she typed out the text to Chloe. She shoved the phone in her pocket after sending it and sighed at the sight of Aubrey sitting at the dock under the moonlight. Beca smiled as she crept onto the wooden platform. "You know," She couldn't help flinching when Aubrey's head spun around to face her. "We're a lot alike, you and I."

"Ew, you? Where's Chloe?"

"Wow, ouch. We are not holding back tonight, are we?" She shrugged. "Look, Chloe couldn't make it. So, I'm all you got. I know, sucks, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay then.." Beca forced a wide grin. "I'll say it again in case you didn't hear. You know, we're a lot alike, you and-"

"I heard it the first time."

"But you didn't acknowledge it so.. I was just trying to be a little dramatic to be honest."

"Beca?"

She froze and glanced around the empty lake, unsure of what Aubrey was going to say next. "Um.. Yes?"

"Stop talking."

"Goddamn it, Aubrey.. You know, a part of me was hoping that I wouldn't find you. No offense. I just.. I hate these things. And with you? Like ew. But come on, I'm here now. So, let's talk, shall we?" She dropped herself beside the blonde and nudged her with an elbow. "So.. what the fuck are you doing out here?"

"None of your bus-"

"Aubrey.. come on." Beca said softly.

The blonde sighed. "I'm.. thinking. Having a thorough analysis of every aspect of my life-"

"Okay. Your whole life? I'm not sure if we have time for that," Beca pointed at her watch-less wrist and shrugged. "The sun is going to rise pretty soon and I should really get back to the motel. Is there anything specific, I mean? Like Stacie? Luke, maybe?"

"What are you expecting me to spill my guts to you?"

"Yes-"

Aubrey scoffed. "Oh my God."

"What? You think I don't get it? I'm as close as you can get."

"No-you think you get it but you don't, Beca."

"Then _tell_ me. Why is this so hard for you?"

"Look who's talking!"

"Okay that's fair but look, I can listen, and you're not as bad as I am at these things or at least I don't think you are. I'm only an asshole most of the time.. come on, we're friends, right? I'm listening."

"We could just go-"

"Jesus Christ, I thought I had trouble opening up." Beca crossed her legs and locked her fingers on her knees. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's up."

Aubrey gave her a curious brow before moving to get up. "Okay, fine. Bye, have fun-"

Beca quickly, after two failed attempts at grasping at her arms, managed to grab the blonde's leg to keep her from escaping. "I could help!" She met Aubrey's confused eyes and shrugged. "Chloe could've helped.. But you just had to go and tell her to fuck off didn't you?" She dropped her grip and smirked to herself as Aubrey sat back down.

".. You know that wasn't my intention-"

"But that's what you did." Beca held her expression under Aubrey's hard gaze, before turning her head to watch the distant ripples in the water. "I do get it, Aubrey.. I was with Jesse for three years. I love that guy, I really do, he's the sweetest. But I never love loved him and it would have never worked out even if I wanted it to. So, I ended it and it's better now between us. It's not great, not yet, but it will be. Eventually.. I hope."

"But I do love Luke, just not enough.. but I can't just go running to Stacie. Not when I'm- I'm a few days from the wedding. I can't."

"Why not?"

Aubrey hesitated. ".. You're an idiot. You're polluting my mind with stupid, illogical ideas-"

"Tell me why not." Beca dared. "Tell me, what's stopping the great Aubrey Posen from going out and getting what she wants?"

Aubrey fumed. The look made Beca feel a bit nostalgic is she was being honest. Her mind quickly flashed back to four years ago when she 'ruined' their set by just trying to add a little flare to it. The memory really didn't help with the current situation. "I have a future with Luke. One that I can see clearly. A paved road with pit stops at every mile. I have a plan with him.. and I don't have that with Stacie. With Stacie, I have.. a foggy dirt path with rocks and stones in the way that I have to climb.. and I can't tell where the pit stops are- if there even are any! I'm blind with her. And I like plans. I like knowing what's ahead."

"Sounds like a great hike to me.. And think about that view once you get to the top."

"Oh shut up you don't even hike."

"But you do."

".. We are so far into this analogy that what we're saying isn't even relevant anymore!"

Beca sighed. "Look, it's not as hard as you'd think, going for who you want."

"How would you know? You're like the most oblivious person I have ever met. Along with Chloe. In fact! You're both tied for first place."

"What- Chloe?"

"What? Chloe?" Aubrey mocked. "You're an idiot. Did she do it yet?"

Beca's brows furrowed together in confusion.

Did Chloe do what yet? What did Aubrey know exactly about the situation? Was she asking if Chloe had confessed her feelings yet? Or was she asking about something else entirely? Did Chloe talk to Aubrey about her, without her knowing? About.. _that_? And if so, what else has she been telling her?

Her shoulders slumped an inch.

Of course she did. Of course Chloe would tell her best friend about _that_. For Beca to think otherwise was nothing but idiotic.

Playing dumb is _so fun._

"What? Do what?"

"Do you know how much crap you put her through? And me! Do you know how many times, over those three years after I graduated, she had called me at two in the morning complaining, sometimes even crying about you?! She has a delicate soul! Chloe is a strong woman but everyone needs someone! Do you ever even think about how she feels when she's all alone and you're.. you?! Cuddling her when you're sleeping in the same bed! Flirting and bickering like teenagers. Doing your little music thing all the time! Don't you know that's her weakness?! And you keep doing it! Remixing songs about love and stuff and having her listen to it in the apartment you share together while you're all alone and within breathing distances of each other!"

"How do you know about th-"

"Really? Really. You're asking me this? Chloe tells me everything. And would you just shut up?! I want you to listen very carefully to the next few sentences I'm going to tell you okay? Listen.. Chloe is bi as hell and she loves you, Beca! She's loved you for like ever! Since you joined the bellas. Do you want to know something- fun fact! The second- THE SECOND- you walked away from our booth at the activities fair, do you know what she said to me- she said 'Bree, she was cute right?' I wasn't having any of it of course. When we got back to my apartment after auditions to discuss the applicants, she would not stop talking about you- honestly I kind of wanted to strangle her. At hood night, she was only making out with Tom to make you jealous, I know because she kept looking over at you to see if you were watching. Do you hear what I am saying to you? Is any of this going through that thick skull of yours?!"

"She didn't tell you about the showers?"

".. Showers?!"

"Never mind! It's nothing."

"Look, Beca.. I didn't like you back then. This isn't new to you." Aubrey smiled. "But Chloe is my best friend. And Chloe, she's a smiler." She took a deep breath. "She just smiles so much.. but she smiles so much more when she's with you. And I want you to make her smile even more! Because you can do that and why wouldn't you not want to do that? I like you, you keep her grounded, you're her rock, and she needs you. I know you're not a lost cause.. I know there's-.. it's there between you two and you're just too scared. I know you love her. And I'm telling you that.. she loves you back. There! It's all out in the open now! You're welcome!"

Beca hesitated. "I know she does."

Aubrey blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Um.. she told me?" She cringed at the soul piercing eyes the blonde gave her that slowly narrowed into slits.

".. Wait what?! What are you saying?"

"I don't know what it is you're confused about.. Um, she told me. She confessed her feelings for me and wee.. sort of kissed?" She blushed at the fact that Aubrey was the first person to know about the kiss. "It happened like an hour ago actually." Beca shrugged in response to Aubrey's now glazed stare. "Stacie kind of.. ruined the moment."

"Chloe kissed you?" Aubrey whispered, eyes glistening with tears of pride.

"Well, I kissed her if you want to get technical. But she's the one who-.. You know what? I shouldn't be the one telling you all of this. Can you just ask Chloe about it? I'm sure she has all the right words for it in that head of hers."

Aubrey hopped up and offered her hand to Beca. "Let's go."

* * *

"Okay so, before you go in, I think St-"

"Chloe Beale!" Aubrey yelled, pushing Beca out of the way so she could make her grand entrance into the motel room. "You finally-"

"Aubrey?" Stacie rubbed her eyes from the bed farthest from the door. "Where the hell did you go?" She pushed herself up and approached the stunned blonde.

"You didn't tell me she was here." Aubrey whispered back to Beca.

"I was going to but you just had to be a slut for gossip, didn't you?" Beca rolled her eyes before finally spotting Chloe asleep and slumped over, still in her jeans that she said she 'couldn't sleep in'. "Do you guys think you could keep it down?"

"Outside then?" Aubrey suggested.

Stacie nodded and waited for Aubrey to turn before following the blonde outside.

Beca cautiously crawled onto the bed beside the redhead and wrapped her in her arms. "Psst."

"No.." Chloe mumbled. "Please, no."

"No?" Beca asked.

"Mm.. no."

"But Aubrey's back. She's outside talking to Stacie." She squeezed her tighter. "Do you want to eavesdrop on them? I think you wanna eavesdrop on them. We should totally eavesdrop on them."

"That sounds horrible.." Chloe's eyes slowly blinked open to meet Beca's tiny smirk. "Let's do it."

"She told me," Beca grunted as she pulled the redhead up. "That with Luke, she has a plan and with Stacie it's just.. too unknown?"

"She told you that?" Chloe squeaked through her dry throat.

"Yep." They made their way to the door and knelt down, carefully pressing their ears against the wood. ".. Are you proud of me?" Beca whispered against the back of Chloe's head. She held her breath as Chloe switched ears to face her and smiled. "My mission is complete. I conquered the beast."

"Is that why you went all by your lonesome? So I'd be impressed by your noble heroic rescue?"

"Well, when you put it like that.. yes. The answer is still yes."

"Okay." She chuckled and gently ran her fingers through the brunette's hair to push the locks behind her ear. "Yeah, you did good, beb. I'm proud of you.. Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, she's my friend too."

Chloe shrugged. "Still.. I'm proud of you."

"Good cause I was dying the whole time." Beca grinned. "It was horrible. She was sobbing on my shoulder, snot and everything, and I totally talked her through it."

"Okay, sure you did."

"Oh-um.. I also kinda told her that we kissed. Because she was telling me about how you were like super into me when we first met and I kinda just had to tell her. So, she knows and she'll be asking you about it as soon as she can."

"She told you what?"

Beca nodded. "So, Tom was only there at hood night to make me jealous?"

"I'm going to kill her." She groaned.

Beca grinned before pointing to the door and shushing Chloe.

" _He's not right for you and you know it. Stop lying to yourself."_

" _He has goals, Stacie."_

" _And I don't?!"_

" _That's not what I meant!"_

" _Is that what this is?! He has the money, your family loves him. He's hot.. You might as well go through with it, right? That's as good as you're gonna get!"_

" _Um.. Yeah! That's kind of exactly how it goes! Anyone who wouldn't go through with it is crazy!"_

" _I thought we were done with this. I thought we were good.. You told me- I remember, you told me months ago that it wasn't going to last with him. Do you remember that? What changed? Are you happy with him now? You don't seem happy, Aubrey-"_

" _And I'd be happy with you? Every single time we're alone together, we're arguing!"_

" _This doesn't count! We're arguing because we're not together! We're like exes arguing right now so absolutely none of this counts!"_

" _But we're not exes!"_

" _Because you never even gave us a goddamn chance! You left me and found someone new before I could even figure out what the hell was happening!"_

" _What makes you think it'll work between us? We've never been on a date!"_

" _We've been on plenty of dates! We just never defined them as dates! And-look, to be honest I don't know if it's going to work! But I don't even need to know if it's going to work or not! I'm not worried about that! Forget about me, forget about us. Right now, I'm worried about you risking your happiness just to stick to this stupid life schedule you have. You want the American dream, but that's all it is! A dream! A mirage! And if you chase it-.. you're gonna get stranded."_

"Wow, I wish I had popcorn." Beca whispered.

" _I'm pregnant, Stacie!"_

Chloe's heart stopped.

".. Huh.. She never told me that part-" Beca mumbled before falling onto the floor when Chloe swung the door open.

Chloe clutched her head as she strode towards the startled blonde. "What the f-"

"Chloe! How long have you-"

"You tell Stacie before me?!" She gestured to the stunned brunette apologetically. "No offense."

"What the fuck, Aubrey!" Beca yelled as she struggled to pick herself off the floor. "I thought we bonded!"

"You're pregnant?" Chloe and Stacie asked in unison.

They stared with wide eyes at the noticeably nervous blonde.

".. I'm pregnant." Aubrey sighed in relief just as Beca finally joined them. "And that's why Luke proposed and that's why I said yes and that's why we wanted to get everything done within a month and that's why I've been overly emotional about literally everything!"

Chloe's heart pounded in her chest. How should she feel? Excited? Thrilled? Angry? Betrayed, even? How could Aubrey keep something like this from her for so long? How could Aubrey even think she couldn't tell her? They're best friends! Or maybe they've been drifting apart and Chloe just never really noticed, what with her mind being too occupied with everything going on with Beca.

She stared at Aubrey sadly. She couldn't exactly be mad at her, not when they were both kind of on the verge of tears right about now. But she was still feeling a little betrayed, and kind of disappointed in herself for not being there for her- even if it was Aubrey who kept her in the dark the whole time. She should have known. She should have seen the clues. The breakdowns, the great skin, her choice to stay sober. She should have been smarter than this. How could she miss this?

But that wasn't important now.

"This whole thing is a shotgun wedding?!" Chloe yelled. "Oh my God!"

"You're pregnant?" Stacie asked again, prompting a sad shrug from Aubrey. "You're pregnant.. That's why you're staying with him?"

Aubrey nodded. "I just want to give this baby a normal, happy life. You can't blame me for that."

"That baby is not-" Chloe's eyes lit up. "Wait. Is it a boy or a girl?!" She asked, suddenly excited about her best friend becoming a mother.

"I don't kn-"

Chloe stepped closer, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet in enthusiasm. "When are you going to find out?! Do you want to know? Or do you want to wait? Oh my God, personally, I think you should wait-"

"Chloe.. I don't know yet. I'm still trying to figure everything out, I'm not even worrying about that yet."

"Okay, yeah, you're right. Back to what I was saying then!" She dropped her bright smile, put on a stern look and lowered her voice. "That baby is not going to have a normal and happy life with parents who don't fit together. And-and what you're saying is illogical, do you really think that your kid will be happy in that kind of environment?"

"But-"

"But what? But he or she will have a mom and a dad? Maybe even a dog? What, they'll be on the soccer team and they'll have a normal suburban drama free life in a home with a white picket fence? That's so stupid! That's not how it goes!" Chloe seethed. "You're Aubrey Posen. You don't need a man to help you raise a child the right way. You could make that child happy all on your own."

"That would break Luke's heart and I could never do that to him."

"Joint custody! You could make it work! If you really wanted! If anyone could do it, it's you. Aubrey it is you! And-and if you ever need help, you have me!" She glanced at Beca beside her and threw an arm over the tiny brunette. "And Beca too!"

"And me. And all of the other bellas.." Stacie said softly. "Chloe's right, Bree. It wouldn't work with him if you tried. And I'm not just saying that because it's in my best interest. It's in yours, and the baby's too. And divorce is just.. a bitch. And if your kid sees all of that unfold, it'll break them. Do you know what divorce does to the kids?! It affects them more than anyone else."

"Then I won't get a divorce-" Aubrey's confidence she so desperately depended on faltered when they all hummed in sarcastic agreement. "Honestly, what kind of friends are you guys?!"

"The ones that are actually right about this?" Chloe shrugged with a sad smile. Her lips quickly fell into a frown when she saw the blonde subtly nod and turn away. She didn't hesitate to sit down next to Aubrey on the parking curb and wrap her in her arms. "You can be happy even if your life isn't like the movies. Nothing's perfect. And think about it, you were planning on leaving him before all this happened anyways. Nothing's really changed, it has-of course it has, but it's nothing you can't handle on your own."

"I know." She looked up at Stacie. "I can't be with you, Stacie, even if I leave him. I just can't.. I-I can't promise you anything. I'd need to figure things out on my own and I need to find my footing and I need to be able to depend on myself."

"Then do that! Don't worry about me! Worry about you and your baby. I'll survive." Stacie forced a smile. "Okay? I'll take it! I'll fucking take it. Just please, tell me you're not getting married."

"I'm.."

The anticipation made Beca's palms sweat. She didn't know Aubrey as much as Chloe or Stacie did obviously, but for some reason she knew this was right, and that Luke wasn't right for Aubrey. But she liked Luke, he had never once treated her without the utmost respect, sure he's joked at her tiny stature and inexperienced youth but it was all good natured. Beca could even say that she saw him as more of an older brother than a boss when she was working under him. Well, maybe not as close as brother- maybe more accurately as a cousin? Yeah, they could totally be cousins. And the thought of Aubrey leaving him- while pregnant with his baby, kind of broke her heart in sympathy for him. But this was something that had to happen sooner than later and she clung to that thought for comfort.

She was confused when Aubrey looked up at her with expectant eyes for her opinion on the matter. Her mind was at a loss for words even though she agreed with everything that was finally being said. What could she possibly say to her that Chloe and Stacie haven't already said? She was willing to give Aubrey the advice she needed when they were alone on the dock but now that both Stacie and Chloe were waiting and listening for her input, the added pressure kind of made her want to stay out of it if she was being honest. She didn't speak up until Chloe subtly jutted her head towards the blonde.

"I.. I like Luke-" She flinched when Stacie shot her a hostile glare. "But," She gritted her teeth at the taller brunette for being so quick to jump the gun. "I think they're right, Bree. It's better to do this sooner than later, you know, like, without all the complications and investments. Before you put your entire life on the line. The longer you wait the more it'll hurt.. right?" She could have stopped there but the smirk Chloe had on her lips gave her a confidence boost she really didn't need. "And if you're not ready to leave him yet, all you have to do is tell him you want to postpone the wedding and have the baby first. That's like another-what? Another eight months of time you need to work up the courage to break it off? You're all set!" She proudly beamed.

Chloe shrugged and threw her a hidden thumbs up just to keep her little alt-girl happy which seemed to work since Beca's kind eyes instantly lit up at the simple gesture.

Chloe rubbed the blonde's back slowly. "Look, Bree.. you don't _need_ to break up with him, you don't _need_ to leave him.. but you need to know that you don't _need_ to marry him either."

"I know, you're right.. You're all right." They waited for Aubrey's answer for what seemed like forever until she finally took a labored breath and nodded. "I need to go- I need to tell him." She pushed herself up and brushed the dust off her jeans.

Stacie crept forward. "Tell him what? What are you-"

"Chloe, I need to tell him." The blonde turned to back the redhead frantically. "Chloe."

"What?" She sprung from her seat. "What do you need?"

"Can I depend on you?" Aubrey panted. "To stop it all?"

"Of course." She nodded. ".. Whatever you need, Bree."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you all saw this coming and i hate myself now :))))


	28. "Where Are We?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just really like writing fluff guys

"UUGH!" Beca swung her duffel bag onto the floor of their apartment as she stomped in angrily. "Kill me, please. End my suffering." She made her way over to their couch and flopped face down like a plank.

They had been up all night- gathering the bellas and letting them know that the wedding was in fact not happening. Aubrey spent her time with Luke outside their home- as to not wake the man's mother- explaining, in full, her difficult situation.

Chloe watched them from inside her car with Beca, they figured leaving Stacie with the rest of the girls back at the motel was probably a good idea. She sat quietly in the driver's seat, glancing between the two crying outside and the little one beside her sporting the most subtle of pouts she had ever had the misfortune of seeing. She comforted Beca with a few simple squeezes of her hand every so often to remind her to take a step back from her empathetic vacuum of sorrow.

If Beca was being honest, she'd say that it had went relatively well considering the circumstances. He didn't explode with rage as she had been expecting. Luke was more of a quiet crier, the kind of person to wait until the door was closed before bursting into tears. But this time he cried, out where anyone could have seen, where Chloe and Beca averted their guilty eyes every time he looked up. Of course he did. But he managed to accept the fact that chasing after Aubrey would have no positive outcome, even if he had somehow convinced her to stay. They sat under the tall draping tree in their front lawn together and talked, Luke in his t-shirt and boxers, and Aubrey still in her outfit for the bachelorette party. The blonde stayed with him until he had bravely asked her to leave, which didn't happen until after the sun had risen; saying his mother would be waking soon and it would probably be better if she left before then. Beca would have gone out to comfort him if Chloe didn't stop her, the man needed his space and if Beca wasn't going to stay with him when Aubrey left, then it would be better to stay away all together. She couldn't stop her lips from quivering at the sight of Luke, alone, crying underneath the tree when they finally left. The sound of Aubrey sniffling in the back seat didn't help the tightness in her throat either.

She found comfort in the words Aubrey had assured him before they left him alone. "This isn't goodbye."

Luke will have every chance to watch his child grow into someone strong, that was Aubrey's promise.

So why was Beca on the verge of tears? They could all be happy with time. Why was she feeling so damn much? She cursed herself for being so sympathetic.

The sun had risen early in the morning and with it, so did all the various people Chloe, as the (ex?) maid of honor, had the pleasure of calling. Aubrey insisted on helping but considering the way she was hiccupping from crying so much, Chloe figured it was best for her to just take a seat. So, Beca stepped up to the plate. Together, they managed to cancel everything from the reservation for the banquet hall- they couldn't get the full refund since it was too late and "the lady was so mean" as Beca put it- to all five of the glorious three layered royal blue velvet cakes that fortunately hadn't been put in production yet. Returning the bridesmaids dresses had been surprisingly easy though a bit time consuming. Together, along with a little help from the bellas, they had successfully stopped all ongoing operations for the wedding and notified all the friends and families who were in town for the event within just a few hours.

They left for home the second everything was done, figuring staying at a crap motel was pointless now that there wasn't going to be an awesome wedding to compensate for it. Emily was glad to go be back home for the rest summer. She had promised to visit often, as soon as she recovered from the emotional roller coaster her visit had been from the start.

"I don't think I have ever been this exhausted before. Like not even after World's. And that includes the after party." Chloe whined, following the brunette to the couch and sitting on top of Beca's legs. "We haven't slept in like forty hours."

"No.." Beca groaned. "You got to take a nap at the motel. I didn't."

"You could've. That's your own fault." She slid down to lay on top of the brunette and yawned into Beca's ear. "We should nap in my room. It's more comfy."

"That's a good idea." Beca whispered against the couch cushion. "But.. I'm too tired to move."

"Mm.. too."

"So, are you two like together now?" Aubrey pointed disgustingly from the kitchen where she was setting her things down next to the empty bottle of wine Chloe had _insisted_ on keeping. She then turned off her phone for the first time since she had taken it out of its box. The calls that kept pouring in were legitimately threatening her stress levels.

"Please, shut the fuck up." Beca mumbled as they finally let the fatigue envelope them in sweet slumber.

Beca snapped awake some time later. It was quiet, but she heard faint music playing from the other room. "Chlo?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched her limbs but frowned when the feeling of deep sleep refused to leave her joints as she had expected them to.

"In my room!" Chloe's voice echoed in harmony with the song that Beca couldn't place to save her life; it sounded familiar yet so pleasantly new. "Can you come in here? I need to show you something."

She pulled herself up and dragged her feet as she slowly made her way to the redhead's bedroom. The hallway seemed longer than usual, and also.. dirty? What is that she keeps stepping on?

She glanced down at her tiny toes to find a single red rose petal stuck in between two of her toes. It was easy to pick it off and toss aside onto the dozens of other petals sprinkled across the floor. "What the hell?" She spun around slowly and glanced around the living room, she didn't see it before but she could definitely see Chloe's clothes on scattered along the hallway now. "Chlo?" Beca whipped back around as she felt her stomach jump into her throat. "Um, excuse me, but what is this stupid cliché bullshit?" She crept forward with her palms flat on walls, careful to not lose her balance since she was still a bit disoriented and fuck, did she feel _heavy_. "By the way, I feel like the clothes aren't usually on the floor unless there's an affair going on.. Chlo? I appreciate the effort but I think you got it wrong." Her confused words echoed against the walls as she finally arrived at the entrance of Chloe's bedroom.

There was a humming from inside that she listened to. Chloe's humming to be specific, along with the melancholy flow of _that fucking_ song in the background. She took note of it, how it builds towards one way but flips and turns, leaving her wanting more, leaving her craving that new and unexpected shift in melody and rhythm. It didn't take long for it to happen again.

_What is this fucking song?_

She cracked the door open and peeked inside, not wanting to wait to find out what this revolutionary song was. But any distractions having to do with Chloe Beale will be the death of her.

She was thankful her eyes didn't need to adjust to the dim flickering light from various candles scattered across the room. Any second looking away from _this_ would be unbearable.

There Chloe sat against a new pile of pillows and comforters at the top of her bed, twirling a strand of her fiery hair as she impatiently waited for Beca to finally arrive.

But when the hell did Chloe get all these damn candles? Not to mention the new sheets. Did she go shopping with Aubrey while Beca was sleeping? By the way, where the hell is Aubrey? How long was Beca even asleep? And why the fuck was Chloe half naked in her lacy red bra and panties again? The same exact ones Chloe wore during her little dare at the motel. Beca thought it was a little odd and kind of gross to be honest. Did Chloe even wash them before wearing them again? If Chloe had time to go shopping, do laundry and change her sheets, Beca must have been out for hours. How did she not wake up sooner?

She couldn't stop thinking about those panties. She prayed Chloe had washed them.

But was that even important right now? If things go well, Chloe wouldn't be wearing those pathetically thin fabric censors for long. Which seemed like a pretty fair possibility right about now.

Her palm could fit so nicely in the small of Chloe's back. And her nimble fingers could so easily slide underneath those-painfully almost-transparent garments to explore, if she wanted, which of course she did. _So bad._

She took a moment to compose herself before stepping in. It was a bit pointless since, although she took longer than intended, her heart was still feeling like it was Kool-Aid Man and her ribcage could be literally any wall. But she wasn't worrying about that since she was looking forward to this cardio workout with Chloe. _Oh yeah._

There was a familiar feeling in her toes, one that made her a little angry if she was being honest. Something awfully annoying despite being velvety soft. She glanced down at her feet again to find another flower petal caught between her toes. Which surprisingly made her very frustrated. She angrily kicked it away before looking up again.

But Chloe was gone now.

_You stupid rose petal._

_You stupid fucking rose petal! It's all your fault!_

She jumped when Chloe swung the door open and pulled her in.

Chloe slammed the door shut by pushing Beca against it with her lips and well, her entire body.

"Wait." Beca panted as Chloe's frantic but soft mouth moved from her lips down to her jaw and just as fast to her neck. "Where's Aubrey?"

"Don't worry about Aubrey." Chloe whispered against her skin. She brought her fingers up to the brunette's mouth for her to bite on as she did the same to Beca's pulse point.

"Chlo, what are you doing?" Beca gripped the doorknob behind her for balance.

"What do you think I'm doing?" She replied, wedging her right leg between Beca's and sliding her free hand under the brunette's shirt to feel the smooth skin underneath.

"Wait, slow down-" She breathed out. "Okay- shit."

"Like this?" Chloe pulled her hands away from the brunette's waist and smiled teasingly as she slowly unbuttoned Beca's blouse. She got halfway down and stopped to slide her fingertips along Beca's ribs. "How slow?" Her eyes slowly worked their way up from Beca's torso, lingering on the important parts, up to her steel blue eyes.

"I take it back." Beca giggled as Chloe's mouth returned to her jugular. "Jesus Christ." She mumbled against Chloe's hand that was pushing her face away. Jolts shot up her spine and down her arms when the redhead's tongue slid up from her collarbone up to her jawline. "Whoa-ho-ho-.. You're a licker-you lick. That's cool I guess. I just wasn't really expecting that-" Again, Chloe dragged her tongue along her skin; across cheek and around her jawline and wrapped her lips Beca's earlobe. "Okay, licking is your thing, I can totally get into that.. if you could just tone it down a notch and avoid the face, it's just a little weird-" She hit her head against the door when she tried to get away from the redhead's tongue that came at her again. "Jesus Christ, woman! I get it but I'm not a lollipop! I still have some make-up on for fuck's sake! Give me a second!" Beca wiped the wetness off her face and stared down at her palms. She frowned when she spotted another flower petal caught between her toes through the space of her fingers. Rage filled her veins. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Her eyes shot up to Chloe again after kicking the petal away for the third time. Except, it wasn't Chloe. No, it was Chloe, well, Chloe's body-Chloe's beautifully toned body- but, with.. Blue's face?! "WHAT THE F-"

Beca woke with a start. She would have jumped up if Chloe's body wasn't weighing her down, pressing her torso into the cushion. And there was a wetness on her face that originated from the redhead's mouth.

"What the hell?" She reached her arm behind her and patted the redhead's thigh to wake her up. "Chlo?"

"Took you long enough." Aubrey mumbled as she sipped her tea from her seat in a kitchen stool. The blonde had been searching for apartments on her laptop for the past hour as the two slept. She, too, was tired but they hadn't established sleeping arrangements yet and she would have felt rude to help herself to one of their beds. "Hey, do you guys have hummus? I've been craving hummus.. What does hummus even taste like? I've never had hummus before, but I want it right now. Like this instant."

"What?" Beca groaned. "Chloe, wake up, you're drooling on my face." She heard the redhead suck in a deep breath and finally felt the weight lift off her back.

"Ugh, ew." Chloe mumbled as she wiped the brunette's face clean, still leaning over her from a propped arm against the cushion. "Sorry- that's gross."

"You think?"

They both sat up and stretched against the backrest in unison.

"Good nap, I assume? Do you guys always sleep on top of each other like that? I would imagine it being very uncomfortable, especially on a small couch like that."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Don't talk shit about our couch, Aubrey. I swear if you weren't pregnant you'd be sleeping on it tonight."

"I can sleep on the couch, just cause I'm carrying a walnut sized lump of tissue and cells inside my uterus, it doesn't mean I'm delicate."

"Well," Chloe yawned. "You'll have to prove your strength some other time, Bree. You're not sleeping on the couch, you're sleeping in my-"

"I'm not taking your bedroom."

"I can sleep w-" Chloe froze.

They've been here before. When things were a little less happy go lucky. But everything's changed now.

But would it be weird if Chloe suggested sleeping in the same bed with Beca after only kissing a total of like four times? They agreed to be exclusive but what type of exclusive were they exactly? Exclusive, but secretly or publicly dating? Does exclusive even mean dating or are they maybe just off the market so they could figure things out a little more?

Were they ready to sleep in the same bed after finally sharing that kiss that they have both been waiting for practically since they met. Sure, they had slept together before, but that was specifically as friends- or so they said. If they were together now, wouldn't that be moving a little too fast?

Or maybe Chloe was just over analyzing everything and being ridiculous since everything between them had been building up to this moment anyways. They did just sleep on their tiny couch together- on top of each other, nonetheless. But this was different, this was behind closed doors where _things_ can _happen_.

The line between platonic and romance between them had been deteriorating at a steady rate within the four years they had known each other. It was a blend blender enthusiasts could only dream of. Like an ombre hair-do, fading so smoothly, except it wasn't at all any sort of ombre-and the hairstylist fucked up, giving you a solid one colored dye. You wouldn't know which side you were on if the signs grew hands and slapped you in the face. And now that they had apparently crossed that "border" with the touch of their lips, should they start back at the bottom; with awkward first dates and blushing at every brush of their hands? Or should they continue with where they were; with cozy cuddling and suggestive comments paired with lingering looks?

Or maybe she shouldn't even mention Beca's bed as a possibility in case Aubrey might suggest _things_ that she, frankly, doesn't want to deal with right now. Yeah, that's a better idea, especially now that she was starting to get a headache-or maybe that was just from the prolonged nap.

"I'll sleep on the couch." She finally finished with a convincing smile.

"Why would you sleep on the couch if you could just sleep with me though?" Beca asked, blankly staring at the ceiling. She didn't really understand why Chloe was hesitant to the idea. "Like, no one wants to sleep on the couch, so how 'bout no one sleep on the couch? It's simple-"

"It's okay, I'll sleep on the couch." Chloe squeezed the brunette's hand, out of Aubrey's field of view.

"No one's judging you, Chloe. You can sleep with Beca if you want-"

"Aubrey, shut up."

"Wait what?" Beca's eyes narrowed into slits as the blonde stood.

"Beca, just ask her to spend the night with you-"

"Aubrey!" She turned to Beca. "It's not that, it's just-"

"Whatever you say now won't matter since you just made it into a big deal. Plus, I already know you two made out, so I don't care what happens. I'm actually hoping it'll happen soon so all of this can be over with."

Chloe felt her cheeks flare with heat. "Jesus Christ! Bree! Stop!"

Aubrey winked at her before leaving for the restroom.

Beca turned to the redhead. "You don't want to sleep with me?"

"What? I do- It's just that, it's.." Chloe's eyes darted around the room nervously. "Well.."

"Was it the kiss?"

"What?! No, the-" She leaned closer to whisper. "The kiss- _kisses_ were great. It's just that I'm wondering.. If Aubrey hadn't come with us, would we be sleeping in our own beds tonight or would we be sleeping together? I'm just confused about what's okay and what isn't, you know? It's like, what level are we at? I mean, if our friendship level was at say.. a ten, and there was no more room to grow anymore so we switched to a romantic relationship so would we be at romantic relationship level one or level ten? Or should we meet halfway and be at romantic relationship level five? Do you get what I'm saying? I don't know where we're at. Like, yes we made out and it was better than I ever could have imagined, so are we dating now? Like, are we telling people? If so, who are we telling? If not, are we going to tell them? When are we going to tell them-"

"Chlo- I was just worrying about you not being comfy, Jesus Christ."

"All of those questions still matter though, Beca."

Beca took a moment to consider everything Chloe was saying. She was still confused to say the least, it's not every day Chloe says she doesn't want to spend the night with her. The feeling of rejection weighed her down more than ever now. But she pushed the thought and buried it under all the questions Chloe just asked her. Chloe got her point across, even if it was a bit disorienting. It was easier to disregard everything Chloe had said and ask herself one simple three worded question. 'Where are we?' Yes, they kissed. More than once. But Beca found herself questioning their relationship too. Where do they go from here? Who do they tell first? Will this require coming out to people? Of course it will. But is Beca ready for that? Is Chloe ready for that? If they were ready for that independently, who's to say they're ready to come out as a couple? To their friends? Family? It all came back to that one question. 'Where are we?'

But in terms of sharing a bed, Beca thought Chloe's hesitation was nothing but unnecessary.

"Becs," Chloe continued. "We just kissed like, technically this morning. First comes the kiss then somewhere along the road comes the shared home. We did it backwards-"

"So?"

"So," Chloe sighed. "If this was a normal.." She gestured between them. "Dating.. thing.. If we _didn't_ do it backwards, we wouldn't be sharing a bed the same day we had our first kiss."

"You want to take a step back?"

".. I don't know-"

"This is coming from the woman who barged into my shower while we were both naked before we even knew each other's names."

"It- well, okay you have a point. But, this is different. Isn't it?"

Beca blinked slowly at her. "So, what you're saying is that you don't want to sleep in my bed tonight.. after we kissed for the first time ever. Like, don't you wanna- kinda, maybe, do that again?"

"Of course I want to do it again-"

"I'm sorry-" She rubbed her temples in frustration. "I'm so confused right now."

"I don't know how much simpler I can make it for you-"

"Chloe, none of that matters. You're saying if we didn't do it backwards, if this was normal, if we did this-if we did that, then we wouldn't be sharing a bed, but the thing is that.. we _did_ do it backwards. And it's okay because absolutely no one cares- It's not like we're doing anything. We're just sleeping. Like we always do? What's the problem?"

"The problem is that something could happen and I'm not ready for that yet-"

"I-!" She fully turned to face the redhead. "I didn't even know that was on the table yet!"

"It's not, that's what I'm saying!"

"I know, but I didn't know it was something we were even gonna talk about until like, way later. I mean, after we stopped at the motel, I assumed that it was gonna be a while until that topic of discussion came up again."

"Well! It's here again! Surprise!"

Beca bit her lip nervously, she was sure Aubrey was hearing every word now. Hell, she was probably listening in on them.

"Look, Chloe, I'm not going to pressure you into doing something you don't want to do."

"I know, it's not you! It's me! You could kiss me, or I could kiss you, and I might not want to stop.." She hesitated. "I want to wait. Not for long I promise, just 'til I feel like it's right. Don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess, but-" Beca shook her head. "I'm not worried about that. I wasn't even thinking about that until you brought it up. And now I'm not going to stop thinking about it."

"Forget it- I'm sorry I brought it up. Just forget I said anything."

"Chloe.." Beca reached for her hand and held it softly. "I'm not going to try to get into your pants. I mean, that's not entirely true if I'm being honest, but, nothing's going to happen if you spend the night with me tonight. I've resisted the urge to kiss you so many times, I could do it again, easy. Well, not easy, but, you get the idea.." She smiled sweetly. "I just want you to have a decent night of sleep. That good ol' REM. You're not gonna get that on this couch," She punched the cushion playfully. "Okay listen, I'll give you an option. You sleep out here if you want, okay? If you change your mind, my door is open. No judgment. No I told you so's. Just my great cozy arms waiting for someone to wrap around. Absolutely nothing more.. I won't even kiss you, I promise. If you choose to stay out here, then that's okay too, I'm fine with that but you don't come to me complaining about your back. Cool?"

Aubrey returned before she could reply but she definitely had a lot to think about now.

"I'm already so sick of peeing all the damn time!" She stood behind the couch with her hands on her hips and a sly smile on her lips. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

* * *

Lights out, a couple hours later. Chloe was lying on the couch with an arm hanging off the edge, tugging at the bristles of the carpet below, and her phone flat on her forehead. She had been working up the courage to sneak into Beca's room the second the blonde retired for the night.

She flinched violently when her phone vibrated with a text.

It was Beca.

**Is your back hurting yet? I'm lonely :(**

She smiled to herself but shook it off, afraid of looking like an idiot to literally no one.

She wanted to go, Beca wanted for her to go, so.. what the hell? It didn't take long for her to "give in", she was just waiting for Beca's call if she was being honest.

Nodding, she sat up and muttered to herself. "No big deal. This couch is just way too small for me, how can anyone sleep on this couch? Let's be realistic here, Chloe. It's impossible. Beca won't make it a big deal." She grabbed her pillow and tiptoed to Beca's door.

Beca was sitting at her little desk in front of her laptop, waiting for her with a small smile when Chloe finally brought herself to crack it open. It was dim in there; the only light coming from Beca's laptop and the Christmas lights pinned along her walls. She spun in her chair to face the door as she slipped off her headphones.

"You're not sleeping?" The redhead whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Nope, working on this new song that's been on my mind." Beca sighed. ".. And what are you doing?"

"Don't you dare." Chloe huffed as she quietly closed the door behind her. "You said no I told you so's either."

"I didn't even say it." Beca smirked.

"But you're thinking it." She quickly crawled into bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin before frowning at the brunette across the room.

Beca rolled her eyes and slumped in her chair. "Okay, now you're just being difficult."

"What song are you working on?"

"I don't know, it's.." Beca glanced back at the screen of dials and levers and various colors of sound waves. "An original?" She sighed.

"An original?" Chloe sat up excitedly. Anything having to do with Beca making music always got her curiously riled up. It was exciting for her, to be able to witness the way Beca worked. To be able to watch the way Beca would just tap a few buttons, cut and drag a few clips here and there and suddenly have something worth listening to. And it's always something new and different from anything she had ever done before. Watching Beca work her magic is just as fascinating every time. It would turn Chloe into somewhat of a baby; experiencing something for the first time. "When did you start on it?"

"Like an hour ago?" Beca rested her head on the backrest of the couch and smiled at her. "It's nowhere near a song yet.. just a beat and some of my humming."

"What are you gonna do with it once you're done?"

"I don't know? Give it to my boss maybe? Send it out to some other label? It won't be done for a while, I don't have lyrics or anything. Plus, I still need to find someone to sing it."

"Why don't you just sing it?"

Beca shook her head. "That's ridiculous."

"Why? You'll be like Diddy or Dr. Dre."

"What? No, that's-.. I don't want to sing it."

"Why not?" Chloe's eyes narrowed.

The brunette shrugged and focused her attention to tapping her fingers on the armrest. "I like to be behind the scenes? You know I've never cared much for performing.. not like you did."

"Well you're the one making the song, you're going to have the sing it if you want the singer to sing it the way you want them to. Even if it's just the demo."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well.. I'm sure it's gonna be great, Becs." She rolled forward to lay on her belly and rested her chin in her palms. "Do your thing, beb."

"You're gonna watch me?" Beca quirked her brows.

"That's the plan, DJ Mitchy-Mitch."

"DJ Mitchy-Mitch? That might just be the ugliest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. I don't even really like the title DJ."

"DJ Mitchy?" Beca could have sworn she heard a ' _ding_ ' when Chloe smiled again. ".. Just Mitchy, then?"

Beca sighed. "What the hell.. Okay, well here," She reached into her top drawer and pulled out a pair of earbuds and an audio splitter. "You can listen too." After plugging it all in, she scooted and patted the newfound space beside her. "Sit with me."

"That chair ain't big enough for the two of us." Chloe teased with her best Woody impression.

"Sure it is, shut up."

They squeezed in the chair together and fidgeted for a few minutes until finally finding a comfortable position; one that required Chloe to sit almost sideways with one leg parallel to the backrest and wrapped around the brunette and the other resting across Beca's legs. So, basically with Beca between her legs.

Although Chloe's back was starting to hurt from the constant rubbing against the plastic armrest, she really didn't want to move, ever really. They stayed like that for about an hour, Chloe's will to stay as close to Beca as possible surprised even herself. Somewhere in that hour, her hands found their way to each other on the far side of Beca. And her chin really liked resting on the brunette's shoulder even if those bulky headphones prevented her from getting any closer to Beca's neck. She watched Beca's restless hands do their thing; tapping whether it was on the keyboard or the desk, they never stopped moving. It was all in rhythm too, she took the time to delay the pressing of a button just so she could stick with the flow of the song. Chloe, being the Chloe she is; always in the state of constant entrancement by everything Beca, was well.. lost in it all.

Beca was a persistent worker with some real dedication considering Chloe's warm breath that had been tickling her neck the entire time. Whilst Chloe was getting lost in her own world filled with fuzzy feelings and stupid smiles, she was doing the same, except with music. She wasn't ignoring Chloe so much as using the feeling to her advantage. It helped, a lot more than last time now that Chloe was physically here with her. What do they call it in psychology? The Yerkes-Dodson Law? Performance is at best under just the right levels of mental arousal. Too little stimulation and you'll lack interest, too much and the pressure will get to you. This felt cozy to Beca, she liked this a lot, maybe that's why she made so much progress in such a short time.

It was one in the morning when Beca's eyelids started feeling heavy. She wasn't even halfway through her first yawn when Chloe softly kissed her shoulder where her shirt wasn't in the way.

"You're tired." Chloe whispered after pulling one of the ear cups off of Beca's head.

Beca blinked herself awake. "I'm always tired."

"I think we should go to bed." Chloe gently placed her earbuds on the table top.

"No, I'm okay," She yawned again. "I want to keep working on this."

"Beca.." She pulled the headphones off the brunette and set it aside. "It's not gonna be good if you're not at your best. You need to sleep. Reset and refresh your mind. Leave it for tomorrow. Okay?" After squeezing herself out of the chair, she slowly shut the laptop and pulled Beca up by her hands. "Come on, DJ Mitchy."

"I'm not dj-ing, I'm producing. This is different."

"Okay, Produce-y Mitchy.." Chloe winced. "It doesn't have the same ring to it."

Beca chuckled quietly. "I like 'beb'. Let's just stick to that, okay?"

Chloe nodded. "Whatever you want."

Beca followed her to the bed, not once taking her eyes off of Chloe's. She was feeling it again; that fuzzy feeling in her chest. Not that she wasn't feeling it when Chloe was literally wrapped around her a few moments earlier. It was more intense now, like the feeling needed attention. Needed relief.

And resisting the urge to kiss Chloe was a lot harder now that she knew what those lips tasted like. Happiness? Satisfaction? Love? Love.. yeah, there's no doubt about it.

She promised Chloe she wasn't going to kiss her. But, who gives a shit about that now? Especially since she was absolutely one hundred and ten percent sure that Chloe wanted be kissed. She could feel it in the way their fingers had laced together. She could see it in the way Chloe's eyes kept returning to her lips. She could sense it in the way the air between them felt heavier, like it shouldn't be there. It was almost overwhelming.

She was tired, and Chloe was tired, so what's one kiss going to do? One measly kiss that she really wanted. That they both really wanted.

She waited for Chloe's legs to backtrack until they couldn't anymore. She heard the muffled thump of Chloe's legs against her bed, and watched the redhead slowly lower herself onto the mattress before leaning down and gently catching her face to press her lips onto Chloe's. It was.. slow, the way her mouth meshed and mingled with Chloe's, slow but so good. Giving and taking, pushing and pulling in the steady rhythm of their synchronized breathing.

Chloe didn't hesitate to return the kiss in equal enthusiasm, which left Beca pleasantly surprised.

With every inhale, there came an exhale from the other. Every tickle of their fingers was countered with the standing of their hairs. With every opening of their mouths, there came a brave tongue, taking turns slipping in and out.

Beca found herself leaning farther in with every tilt of her head until Chloe had to prop herself up with an elbow.

Chloe did not want to stop. She remembered saying she didn't want this to happen until it felt right, but this was as right as it was going to get now that she was thinking about it. She didn't really care anymore, if Beca wanted to keep going, then hell, she wanted to too. She could keep going, and she would be happy to. This could be her chance to please Beca in ways she never could before. It would be stupid to deny Beca what she wants. Maybe she was getting delirious from the fever in her bloodstream.

If Beca wanted to kiss her neck, then she'll give her the room she needs. And that's what she did. She sucked in a quiet breath when she felt the suckle at her pulse point.

"Shit, Beca.." Chloe didn't know how her hand ended up under Beca's shirt but there it was, not really doing anything other than feeling and just being there for the sake of contact that she so desperately craved.

Their lips met again the instant Beca left her neck.

And Beca is such a great kisser in terms of attention and generosity. Chloe couldn't think about anything other than the fact. The way her fingers were so carefully gentle behind her neck and the way her thumbs kept stroking her cheeks made Chloe want to stay there forever.

She was wondering why Beca hadn't climbed on top of her yet when the brunette's lips slowly drifted away from hers.

Beca straightened up and stared her down with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Every fiber of her being told her to crawl to her, to kiss her again, to keep going. Because this isn't a dream this time and Chloe isn't even telling her to stop.

But she knew better.

Chloe wouldn't want this.

And she wouldn't either.

Chloe softly dropped herself flat now that Beca's lips weren't there to encourage her to stay upright.

"Feels like a dream." She breathed out against her raised arms as she arched her back and trailed her toes up and down her leg. She slowly pushed the pile of blanket and pillows away for room to stretch her limbs. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Beca."

She shook her head. ".. I said I wasn't going to kiss you." She licked her lips and took a long breath, looking away when Chloe sat up and reached for her hands. "I'm sorry.. You said that you didn't want this to happen yet, I-.. I didn't think it would-"

"Stop- It's okay. Beca, it's okay.." Chloe could see Beca coming apart before her. She slowly stood with concerned eyes darting between Beca's. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No-" Beca sighed. "I'm sorry. That was stupid. Just.. I won't do that again. I'll keep it in my pants, just.." She squeezed the redhead's hands. "Just stay, please?"

Chloe nodded. "Please, just stop apologizing. It wasn't your fault."

"It kind of was.." Beca huffed out a disheartened breath.

"It's okay, Beca.. it was just a kiss." Chloe wanted to kiss her again.. and again, and again, to tell her that it was really okay, because shit, she wasn't going to stop if Beca hadn't. But that probably wasn't a good idea considering the circumstances. She settled for quickly pecking the brunette's cheek. "Okay? If you don't think I should leave then maybe we should go to bed, yeah?"

Beca quickly nodded. "Yeah, let's do that."

They took their time settling under the sheets, a few good inches away from each other, afraid that even a touch could send them both rogue again.

"Please don't over analyze this, Beca." Chloe blindly found Beca's hand to hold under the blanket after a few quiet moments. They laced their fingers together but kept their eyes on the ceiling. "Please don't feel bad, don't blame yourself if things go a little farther than you intended. I didn't tell you to stop, so you didn't. And that's perfectly okay. I was as much a part of it as you were.. Okay?"

"Yeah.."

"We," She swallowed. "When I said what I said, i meant that I don't want to jump into it right away.. I don't care when people say it's stupid to wait because it's pointless or whatever, because I think it is special- It's so special and intimate and.. if we come in swinging right off the bat, then that's it. I want it to be worth the wait. I want to take my time with you, Beca. But sometimes I feel like if we.. went there, then it would still be okay because, well, we've known each other for years, it's not like this is some one night stand. I know you, and you know me, better than anyone I know.. we live together for Christ's sake. But at the same time, you're Beca and you're different and I should slow things down with you.." She shook her head, trying to shake off the confusion. "I don't know sometimes- I know I'm not making any sense right now, I'm contradicting myself, I mean, if you want to go right now I could, the mood is kinda gone though, even though I'm sure you could get me going again- but my point is if you wanted, then I'd want to too, but I think waiting would be the better option for.. us."

"Okay."

"Is-" Chloe turned to face her and Beca did the same. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is." Beca whispered. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"It.." The redhead shrugged. "It wasn't okay with some other people I've been with."

Beca's brows knitted together in sympathy. She brought the redhead's hand to her lips to press a soft kiss on the knuckles. "All of your exes are assholes and I hate them all."

"Yeah," Chloe chuckled. "You're better.."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. Just-.. go to sleep."

"You first." Beca froze because, yes she just said that disgustingly cliché line to Chloe and she kind of hates herself for letting that one slip. "Aw fuck."

Chloe grinned. "Oh my God."

"Ew no, I didn't mean to say that. You're never going to let this one go, are you?" She buried her face in her pillow. "Ew I just said that, please, for the love of the aca-gods, if I ever say that again, kill me. Promise me you'll kill me."

"I will do no such thing." Chloe smiled sweetly under the moonlight seeping in between the curtains. She gently raked the brunette's hair away from her face so she could see her. "You're cute."

Beca scoffed a few times, feigning offense. "Don't ever- I am so offended- how dare you? Y-You come into my house and insult me? I am.. appalled- Who do you think you are?"

"I'm the person you just said 'you first' to." She whispered before smirking at fast how Beca's lips pursed together to hide her smile.

"Shut up."

"You firs-" Chloe giggled under Beca's hand that went to cover her mouth.

"Listen to me. Listen good. We will not be that couple. Do you hear me?" Beca leaned in and furrowed her brows. "I refuse to be that couple." She didn't drop her grip until the redhead reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"So.." Chloe teased. "We're a couple?"

The brunette nodded. "I think so.. we kissed like, what? Five times now, so yeah, official couple status right here.. Is that okay?"

"It's perfect.." Chloe bit her lip. "I feel used though. You can't just say something like 'you first' and then prohibit me from saying it back."

"I can. I totally can."

"Whatever.."

They sat up when they heard a clang from the kitchen.

"Was that Bree?" Chloe whispered.

"I don't fucking know." Beca slowly crawled off the mattress and pulled a small baseball bat from beneath her bed.

"You have a bat?"

"Yeah. You don't have one?"

"No!" Chloe hissed. "Are you kidding me? What if I was sleeping in my room and a robber came and attacked me, I'd be defenseless! And you're over here with a bat! What if you weren't home? I would have never known you had a bat in here! I'd try running all the way to the kitchen for a knife or the living room for the dagger! I'd die before I get there, Beca!"

Beca waved her off. "Relax, I'll buy you a bat."

"Don't buy me a bat, I don't want to copy you-"

"Are you fucking kidding me right now, Chloe?" She stared at the redhead. "We have a situation here."

"Buy me a sword."

"Shut up!"

"You!" She followed Beca out the door and down the hall. Beca's tight grip on the bat made her anxious. Why was Beca gripping it so tightly? Is she flexing? For Chloe? No, That's ridiculous. Or is it?

Beca dropped her hostile stance as they spotted the blonde rummaging through one of the kitchen cabinets. "Aubrey!"

"Jesus!" The blonde jumped in fright. "Beca, people are sleeping, why are you yelling?"

"What are you doing, Bree?" Chloe asked.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your love making, as I can see," She gestured to Chloe. "But-"

Chloe slapped her hand over her neck and hissed at Beca. "You gave me a hickey?!"

"What?! No-"

"I knew it!" Aubrey clasped her hands together proudly. "Y'all were getting it on! She was kissing your neck, Chlo? How was it? Was it worth the wait?"

Chloe stared in disbelief. ".. Are you kidding me right now?" She turned to Beca. "Is she for real right now?"

Beca shrugged. "She's _your_ best friend.."

"Bree.. Bree, Bree, Bree, lovely Bree of mine." Chloe forced a tight smile. "I love you, but I will make you and your unborn child sleep in the hallway the next time you play me like that."

Aubrey frowned. "No one is judging, you've known each other for years now. Your rule doesn't apply here, Chloe."

Beca squinted at Aubrey. "What ru-"

"If you'll excuse us!" Chloe stared at the blonde, widening her eyes for emphasis. "We're gonna go back to bed now. To sleep. Because that's what we were trying to do."

"Sure you were. Have fun kids!" Aubrey laughed. "Oh-wait!"

The two sighed before turning back to the blonde still in the kitchen. "What?" They answered in unison.

"Here's the thing, we have a huge problem.. You guys have absolutely _no hummus_. Why don't you have any hummus at all? This is a disaster. The Fourth is in like two days and you have no hummus."

Chloe's head swiveled to Beca.

The Fourth.

How could they forget about The Fourth of July?

That explains all the red, white and blue decor they've been seeing around stores and such.

"The Fourth, Beca!" Chloe yelled. "Are you kidding me, how did we forget about one of the biggest national holidays?! We have to go buy fireworks!"

* * *

The empty fireworks shelf mocked Chloe endlessly the next day. She had stared at it with an angry pout until Beca had to drag her away by an arm to go find Aubrey who had wandered off on her own with their cart. They were halfway down a frozen foods aisle when the redhead stopped to contemplate the idea of celebrating the fourth without lighting fireworks.

"What is life? Without flair?" She whispered. "There is no point without.. panache, without.. spirit."

"Okay, I get it, you like fireworks. We'll just have to watch other people light them in the street."

"Are you kidding me? No. Lighting fireworks is a tradition. I haven't gone one year without lighting _something_." Chloe pulled out her phone from her bag. "Maybe Stacie has some- better yet! Lilly probably has some illegal ones! Those are always the best-"

"They're illegal for a reason! Chlo, stop." Beca snatched the phone from the redhead's grip when she didn't look up.

"Hey, I was-"

"Chlo," She held it behind her back as Chloe swiped for it. "Chloe, listen, to be honest.. I'm kind of sick of the bellas can we just, I don't know- spend some time away from them so I can regenerate my tolerance for them? Maybe we could do something together?" She shrunk a little in embarrassment, suggesting alone time with Chloe made her want to crawl in a hole until she blushed to death.

"What? Sick of the girls?" Chloe scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. "They're our family, Becs."

"Yeah, I know, I know.. and I love those nerds. But, shit.." Beca groaned. "They're annoying!"

".. What do you mean-"

"Finally!" Their eyes shot to the end of the aisle where Aubrey just turned the corner, pushing a cart filled with various groceries. "Guess who just found six containers of hummus, bitches! Me. It's me. I found hummus! And look what else I got!" She pulled an ice cream scooper out of the cart and shoved it in their faces, alternating her focus between the two. "Isn't this the most beautiful ice cream scooper you have ever seen in your entire life?!"

The drive back was weird to say the least. Beca kept her hands on the steering wheel but her eyes darting between the road and Chloe's eyes that were lost in something on her phone. The sound of Aubrey mumbling about her "heavenly" snack, as she put it, was more than distracting. She tried shooting Chloe an inquisitive look but the redhead hadn't looked up once.

After setting their bags on the kitchen counter, Chloe pulled Beca into the privacy of the brunette's bedroom. "Come here."

"Hey, why'd you get so much cranberr-"

"Listen! Okay, so you said you're annoyed by the bellas right?" She smiled brightly.

"Yes, but I say that all the time, what's new? Also, why are you smiling like that?"

"Listen, I have an idea-"

"Oh no-"

"No. This is good, trust me!" She took a breath. "Hear me out when I ask you the next question okay? Prepare yourself for the best idea ever."

Beca rolled her eyes. "What do you got, Red,"

"Do you wanna go on an adventure?" Her grin grew wider. "With me? Just for a night. You and me."

"What kind of adventure are we talkin' here? Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise, but it'll be grand!"

Beca's eyes narrowed in hesitant suspicion. "Uhh-"

"Beca," Chloe took the smaller girl's hands into her own pleadingly. "Please, just trust me on this. It'll be nice, I promise.. Just you and me. No interruptions."

The words echoed in Beca's head more times than she had the will to count. To be alone with Chloe when no one could interrupt sounded too good to be true. Not to mention the excitement in her chest that fluttered at the mention of the word "adventure". Plus, Chloe seemed really eager about this so, what the hell? Beca has got absolutely nothing to lose. This could be great.

"Wait, you just said last night that you didn't want to be alone with me in a room with a closed door because something might happen. And shit, something could've happened last night. And now you apparently want to go on an adventure, with just me, where no one can interrupt us?"

"True.. but, I-" Chloe shrugged. Speaking her mind when it came down to her feelings about Beca had never really been hard for her, except yeah, this time she was contradicting herself. But there was a simple explanation. "I trust you, Beca. Whatever you plan on doing."

"Yeah okay, that's nice but," Their eyes met. "Is it a.. a date type of thing?"

Chloe's lips slowly curled up. "If you want it to be a date, then yeah it could be one."

"Okay.." Beca blushed. "I think it should be a date."

"Then it's a date.. Do you think Stacie will let us borrow her truck? Maybe if I ask nicely.."

"You said for a night, does that we'll be spending the night at wherever you plan to take us?"

Chloe nodded excitedly.

"So, I'll need a change of clothes?"

Again, she nodded.

"So, more packing?" The brunette sighed when Chloe's smile grew wider.

"Sorry, not sorry?" Chloe giggled.

It's always been easy for her to make Chloe happy, she knew that, and although Chloe's attempts to do the same always involved disgustingly corny comments and _things_ that Beca always said she hated, Beca would say that Chloe had it pretty damn easy when it came to making her happy too.

And that's how it should be. Right?

"When do we leave for this grand adventure?"

That's when Chloe's eyes lit up. In the familiar way they always do but never ceasing to surprise Beca in its capacity. The way Chloe's chest rose with an excited breath she didn't want to let go always made the brunette just as excited.

"Tonight!"

"Nope."

" _Tomorrow_ night!"


	29. "We Do Things Differently"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait guys. How does a 10k ch to make up for it sound?

"Bikini?" Chloe asked with a raised brow. "Or one piece?" She held up both options for Aubrey to help her choose. In one hand, she held her blue and white striped bikini top and bottom. It was a simple set; the kind you have to tie at the back of the neck, back and hips. In the other, she had her one piece swimsuit. It was pure white, the v neck stretching all the way down past the sternum with practically nothing to cover her back. She had more options but these two were her favorites, and nothing less would be acceptable for her 'date' with Beca. Plus, she wanted to look hot and both were relatively.. well, _hot_.

"One piece." Aubrey nodded, sure of herself, as she splayed herself across Chloe's bed.

Chloe let her arms go limp. "Really?"

"Yeah, think about it, when you change, it's not one at a time, it's the whole thing at once. So, you'll be fully naked-"

"Aubrey, I appreciate your effort in trying to get me laid. I promise you, I do." She deadpanned. "But that's not something I'm worried about right now."

"I see her sarcasm is rubbing off on you." Aubrey narrowed her eyes. "Make it stop."

"Not sure I can." Chloe smiled. "Bikini it is."

"Okay, even better. The bikini is easy access-"

"Aubrey!"

"Okay, Chloe." The blonde sat up. "Enlighten me! If you don't want to get into Beca's pants tonight, why are you bringing a damn comforter, a blanket and like four pillows? Hm?" She bounced her eyebrows accusingly. "What are all those for? Extra padding?"

Chloe had a plan, one that involved plenty of cushion. It was a lot more innocent than it seemed. It was a good one if she was allowed to be cocky about it, but telling Aubrey about her love life scheming wasn't something she was looking forward to right now, especially with Aubrey teasing her like this. No, Aubrey is going to be out of the loop on this one, this is payback for not telling her about the bun in her oven that's been cooking for an entire two months. She's still not entirely over that. Nor does she think she ever will be.

"That's-," Chloe stuttered a few times. "It's not like that at all."

"Sure, babe. Sure it's not."

"Look, I would prefer waiting.. but if it happens then it happens. But I'm not trying to set things in motion or anything."

"Stop lying to yourself."

"Shut up, I'm not lying to myself." She threw a sock at the blonde playfully. "Nothing is going to happen tonight. I'm pretty sure about that." Did she stutter again? Even she didn't know.

"Sure.." Aubrey made a face before tossing the sock aside. "Just remember to use a condom.." The blonde tilted her head at stared off into the distance. "Or not." She squinted at Chloe. "Cling wrap? A plastic bag?" She smiled when Chloe chuckled. "You know what? It doesn't even matter. It's not like you could end up like me." She quipped, pointing a finger at her stomach. "It's the boy parts you gotta look out for. Dangerous, those things. They'll give you parasites."

"And that's it! The last straw. I am officially done with this conversation." Chloe shook her head. After shoving the suit into her duffel bag, she turned and happily skipped out her room to find Beca. "Beca?" She called, knocking on the brunette's door.

"Yeah, come in."

She quickly squeezed into the room and went to lie on the bed beside the backpack Beca was currently stuffing. "You done packing?"

"I think so.. swimsuit, change of clothes, towel.. that's all right?"

"Yep. I think so. Did you call Stacie and ask her if we could use her truck?"

Beca did call. And to her surprise, it didn't take long to convince Stacie to let them borrow her truck. Apparently, all she had to say was "Chloe and I are going on an adventure, apparently" and that was that. Beca didn't even have to say "please" before Stacie interrupted her, saying that they could take it. As long as it came back with a full tank, of course. Still, Beca was thankful she didn't have to beg. Begging was not her strong suit, she had too much pride for that. And it didn't help that Stacie's ego grew tenfold whenever Beca needed something from her. The tall brunette found amusement in making Beca say please. Whether it'd be for something as petty as a pen, Stacie used her height advantage to keep it out of Beca's reach until she heard the golden word. But Beca always got her back, finding trivial reasons to make Stacie run extra laps during practice, though after graduating, she had lost her authority over her and thus her reliable revenge tactic. Stacie knew what she was doing but didn't mind, it helped tone her legs she said.

"Yeah, I don't know why but she was pretty eager to let us use it." Beca shrugged, zipping up her backpack. "I could go pick it up right now, I'll just let her use my car in the meantime."

"Uh, no, Beca." Chloe reached for her hand to hold but only managed to catch a finger. Still, she held on for the sake of contact and pulled the brunette closer. "Your car is new, you don't want Stace using it. Just let her use mine, it's fine."

Beca quirked a brow. "You sure?"

"What's the big deal? I always let her use it." Chloe pursed her lips before slowly relaxing her features.. "We could go now. I wanna leave as soon as possible."

"Can't wait to get me alone, I see." The brunette popped her nonexistent collar and smirked as she playfully bounced her shoulders.

"Can't," She stood and crept towards Beca with sultry eyes. "Wait." After quickly pecking the brunette on the lips and winking, she left the room, not giving Beca a chance to even react.

* * *

Chloe pressed her whole body against the comforter spilling out of her car. It pushed back against her, she swore it did. "Fff- Goddamnit!"

"Have you considered folding it?" Aubrey blinked at her struggling friend at a safe distance.

Chloe grunted. "I don't have time-"

"Move." Aubrey shooed her away before pulling out the giant blanket. She quickly folded it into a neat, symmetrical cube, not once letting it touch the floor, and easily placed it back in the back seat. "See? Easy. Nice and snug."

"Thanks, Bree." Chloe patted the blonde's shoulder as she caught her breath. "I guess I'm just eager to leave.. Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?"

"Please, if I call, it'll be to ask if you guys did it yet."

"Oh my God." Chloe groaned at the ceiling of the lot. "Please, stop bringing that up."

Aubrey shrugged. "Hey, I'm just addressing the elephant in the room."

"Why do you care so much about whether or not Beca and I sleep together anyways?"

Aubrey shrugged again, this time with a sincere smile on her lips. "Look, I know it doesn't seem like it but.. I like her. She's good for you. And I want you to be happy. Plus I've been waiting for you two to be a thing since before you told me about liking her."

"Wait, what?"

"You really thought I was surprised when you told me?"

Chloe hesitated, thinking back to when she confessed to Aubrey. Her memory was fuzzy, hell it happened such a long time ago. "I guess?"

The blonde sighed. "You do this thing-it's so easy to tell when you like someone."

Chloe stepped closer, this was the first she'd heard of this. "What do you mean I have a _thing_? What _thing_?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes but decided to satisfy Chloe's curiosity. "You do this thing where when you see the person you like, you draw an extremely long breath, like you need room for everything going on inside your chest and don't let it out until either you can't hold it in anymore or you have to say something. And then you smile like the biggest smile ever, like, aren't your cheeks sore, Chloe? And your eyes light up and everything, it's weird. It doesn't go in that order though, first your eyes light up, and then you take your breath _and then_ you smile. You have absolutely no ability to hide your emotions, it's written all over your face. All the time. And I love you for it because you have no idea."

Chloe shrunk into her shoulders bashfully. "Aw, look at you, you're such a sap." She reached forward and pinched Aubrey's cheek. "You sappy, sappy, wonderful human being."

"Okay, that's enough."

They turned as Beca returned from grabbing the last of their things, which was nothing but her own backpack and her handheld Bluetooth speakers, which Chloe had reminded her to bring a total of four times, because she definitely offered to bring Chloe's things down first - Chloe's things being all the pillows and such.

"Catch." Beca tossed her keys to the blonde and smiled in surprise when Aubrey caught it. "You can use my car but you better remember to charge it afterwards."

"Thank you, Beca," Aubrey gave a slight nod. "Really."

"Yeah, yeah."

The blonde sighed. "I should have just brought my car."

Chloe pursed her lips remembering their decision to bring Aubrey to their home. The woman was hiccupping and could barely speak a full sentence, let alone drive anywhere. She was confident they made the right decision to stuff the blonde in her car and bring her here. "You were in no condition to drive, Bree."

"I need my car, Chloe."

"We'll go with you to pick it up along with your other stuff as soon as we get back. Okay?" Chloe offered. "Wait for us to get back, we'll both go with you. You don't have to go back there alone."

Aubrey nodded. "Thanks, Chlo."

"Okay!" Beca interrupted, resting her hands on her hips. "Chloe, we're good to go?"

"Yep!" Chloe clasped her hands excitedly after offering Aubrey a sincere smile. "To Stacie's!"

"Alright. See you later, Aubrey." Beca waved her off and hopped into the driver's seat.

"Have fun you two. I'll be here all alone, watching fireworks from the apartment window, eating my hummus."

Chloe grinned in response. "You could always just go hang out with Stace and the rest of the girls, Bree. It's the holidays, you don't need to be alone when you have friends. I think it'll be good for you."

The blonde seemed to genuinely mull over the idea for a quiet moment. "Yeah, maybe.. Have fun, Chloe. And I don't just mean get laid. I mean, really have fun. It's a date. Flirt. Do your thing."

"It's not really a.. _date_." Chloe shrugged. "We're just getting away."

"Yeah, well have fun on your _date_." Aubrey smirked. " _Flirt_. Do your thing."

".. Thanks." The redhead sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

After making the trade at Stacie's parking lot and transferring their things from Chloe's car to the back row of Stacie's truck, they headed off, with Chloe behind the steering wheel this time.

Beca sighed at her phone that was connected to the car stereo. Deciding on a song seemed a lot harder now with most of her attention focused on figuring out where they could possibly be headed. She held out for as long as she could, which wasn't long at all, before giving up. She sighed dramatically. "Still not going to tell me where we're going?"

"Nope." Chloe shook her head playfully. "You'll know soon enough."

"Not even a little clue?"

"Um.. there's water involved."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Wow, and I thought the swimsuits were for nothing. You're not even going to tell me why you brought those pillows and stuff?"

"That's for comfort, duh."

Beca squinted at her curiously but decided to drop the issue. ".. Alright well," She yawned. "I'm going to take a nap if that's cool with you." She reached into the back seat to grab herself a pillow.

"Yeah, get your rest. You'll need it."

Beca narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously after wedging the pillow between the window and her neck. "I don't even think you know what you're saying half the time you talk."

"I don't mean it like that.." Chloe blushed. "Why is everyone assuming I'm trying to get into your pants? I'm the one that suggested that we don't go there yet!"

"Okay, Red." Beca chuckled, closing her eyes. "Okay."

A flash of light disturbed her empty slumber some time later. She furrowed her brows, before relaxing and letting herself fall back asleep. But there it was again, a flash of light behind her eyelids accompanied by a click and a mechanical buzz that lasted for a few seconds. It stopped before she finally blinked open her tired eyes.

"Murnin'." Chloe frowned at the blank Polaroid film. "These things take forever."

"Ew.. Throw those away, you took them without my consent." Beca mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The tail lights of the car ahead of them glowed red. Traffic on a holiday was definitely something they should have anticipated. "How long was I out?" She uttered huskily.

"Like.. an hour."

"What?" Beca blinked a few times, forcing her vision to adjust to the sunlight. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Chloe shrugged, easing her foot off the brakes to inch forward. "You woke up early to pack, I figured you could use the nap."

Beca gasped jokingly. "How thoughtful."

"Who? Lil' ol' me?" Chloe grinned.

"Okay, this just got weird." Beca chuckled lightly. "Where are we?"

"Right now we are in.." Chloe sucked in a long breath through her teeth. "Uhh.."

"Don't tell me we're lost."

"We are not lost. Don't doubt me!" Chloe reached over and flicked Beca's nose. "We just passed Macon and we are on interstate sixteen, I think.." She squinted up at the giant green sign overhead that offered practically no useful information whatsoever. "I hope."

Beca smirked.

They could totally be lost right now. And this traffic wasn't helping the least. If Chloe would just tell her where the hell they were going, she could definitely help navigate or at least strike up a conversation regarding their plans. But Chloe seemed utterly confident and she wanted to let Chloe have her fun. If they were lost, or if they manage to get lost in the future, their trusty phones could always point them in the right direction. And this was exactly what Chloe meant when she said to trust her. It really wasn't a big deal and she didn't quite know why she cared so much earlier. She's never really gone on an "adventure" before, a road trip to an unknown destination. The thought stirred the excitement in her.

So, she relaxed, finally let herself forget about the destination, and focused on the journey instead.

Her phone was still plugged into the stereo despite forgetting to choose a song earlier. She glanced at the redhead who couldn't help smiling back. "You drove this whole time with nothing playing on the stereo?"

Chloe shrugged. "I didn't notice.."

She did notice. Not until half an hour after Beca had fallen asleep, but still, she noticed. But she liked the silence of this drive. It wasn't an unbearable quiet; one that was hypnotic and threatened to lull her to sleep. It was comfortable. There didn't need to be background noise for Chloe to be able to enjoy herself. She liked the quietness of Beca's breathing, it helped her mind wander. Plus, it would be rude to play music as Beca slept. Music inevitably led to singing when it came to Chloe Beale and once Chloe was rolling, it was hard to get her to stop. She wanted Beca to get her rest and so she happily drove in silence.

"You?" Beca didn't hide her doubt. "Didn't notice?"

"Are you hungry?" Chloe pointed to her stomach, expertly changing subjects, she didn't want to get into it. "I'm a little hungry. I packed some snacks but it's in the bag on the floor back there."

"Want me to grab it for you?"

Their eyes met and Beca knew the answer instantly judging by the gleam in Chloe's. She nodded at her with a smirk. Of course she'll get it for her. She didn't even know why she asked.

Traffic didn't seem to be moving along so much, so she unbuckled her seat belt and turned to crawl into the backseat. The clap on her backside from Chloe's hand made her shriek in surprise. She let herself fall onto the back seats as her wide eyes found Chloe's devilish ones.

"What was that?" Beca squeaked.

"Um.. There was a cop?" Chloe giggled with her lips caught between her teeth before winking.

Beca grinned back. She thanked whatever deities watched over them for the AC because watching it blow Chloe's fiery strands across her face in contrast to her lightning blue eyes that peeked over her shoulder, along with the fact that Chloe just slapped her ass in a seductive manner, definitely made her sweat a little.

"Sure there was." Beca breathed out and turned her attention to searching for food. After a few moments of silence and the occasional hum from Chloe, Beca finally found the paper bag Chloe mentioned buried under the mass of pillows and blankets. It was wrinkled and torn a little at one of the corners but it loyally held together.

She quickly leapt back into the front and secured her seat belt again, afraid if she took her time, Chloe's hand would get confident again and she could potentially see her blushing this time around. Peering into the bag, she spotted a bag of fruit gummies among some other things. She opened it and offered the small package to Chloe after setting the paper bag back down in the back. She then resumed her previously abandoned search for a song.

"Hey Becs," Chloe smiled at her with red gummies lining her lips after a few quiet moments. She had bitten them in half and licked them all before sticking them on. "Wanna make out? My lips taste like strawberries." She bounced her brows playfully as one of the gummy's grip failed to hold on and tumbled onto her shirt.

"Oh wow.." Beca sat back to admire the view. "You're so seductive."

"I'm a sex god." Chloe winked after sticking the fruit snack back where it previously was. "Come at me."

"I think I'm okay where I am. It looks like you have a really bad case of herpes." Beca wrinkled her nose as she grabbed the camera. "Smile." Chloe puckered her lips and held up a cliché peace sign as Beca snapped the photo. "You basic bimbo."

"Thank you." Chloe teased before turning to the elderly couple in the car next to them. She winked at the woman and laughed when the lady forced a smile after seeing her lips.

After some time consisting of sticking fruit snacks to their faces, cleaning off the sticky residue with damp napkins, and singing duets to an endless amount of songs, they were moving again.

"Savannah!" Beca pointed at the sign ahead that read: _Savannah 1 mile_. They had been driving for two additional hours and were approaching their destination. "We're going to Savannah?" Her eyes lit up with excitement.

Chloe grinned as she nodded. "Took you long enough."

"Holy crap, I haven't been to Savannah since I was a kid."

"Me neither.." Chloe smirked.

Nostalgia tugged on their heart strings as they reminisced on old times when their parents stuck them in the back seat along with bags packed with swimsuits and various road trip essentials. It wasn't too far for either of the families but far enough to make something out of it.

It was a lonely life; Beca's childhood. Lonely, but good, until the divorce, that is. Which, made it all the more lonelier. Her mother took her to the boardwalk some summers, sometimes even winters, it didn't matter when they went just that they left home. Just the two of them, without her father, even before the divorce. He was always too busy with work. Or at least that's what her mother always told her. Beca knew better. Her mother needed to get away from the house sometimes, to forget about her "husband", to spend quality time with her one and only child. And Beca was always there for her to cheer her up or at least try as much as a child could. The ferris wheel was her mom's favorite, she knew that because of the way her mother would breathe up at the top; slowly to take in the world. So, it was her favorite too, fittingly. Once the divorce was over and done with, the trips stopped happening so often, until they stopped completely. Beca found it easy to believe the reason being because the woman didn't need to get away anymore, she found no reason to search for an escape when there was nothing to run from anymore. Beca wasn't quite sure if she found it comforting or heartbreaking. So, she forgot about it all, buried it under new memories and friends. It was hard, but she did it. She didn't know why it felt good to be going back to Savannah, maybe it helped her feel like someone who cared for other people. Helped her feel like the person she used to be before she decided to build her walls and hide behind them.

Chloe smiled at the memory of her older brothers pulling her along the boardwalk and away from their parents, to go explore under the dock where all the cool creatures from the sea go to die, or making her ride the scary roller coasters because she couldn't stand there all alone to wait for them because she could get kidnapped being as cute as she was. Summer after summer they went, and with time, the big scary rides weren't so scary anymore and she learned to love them. She loved the boardwalk and cherished their trips even when their annual visits became a thing of the past. She wanted to revisit it again, to show Beca all the rides she loved and all the little shops with the best souvenirs. Or that one pillar where she and her brothers carved their names. It was a lot more innocent for Chloe, the boardwalk was nothing but warmth and smiles for her. Childhood innocence discovering everything from the scarce seashells that littered the beaches to the beautiful people who politely smiled back when they caught her eye. Ocean air as fresh as her youth. She definitely wasn't planning on visiting the boardwalk, she had a different destination in mind, but now that Chloe was reminded of all those good times, she could definitely make time for it.

Chloe exited the highway and made a few turns once inside the city as she mumbled quietly to herself, reciting the words of her father whom she had spoken to the day before "Passed the boardwalk, follow the gravel roads, you'll know once you get there". The words were too quiet for Beca to hear.

About another half an hour passed and Beca could tell they were getting close to their destination. With every passing second, the anticipation grew in her chest. She remembered these roads, these street signs and buildings. They were different but the same. Familiar shapes and angles but different words and colors decorating them. Still, she knew, they led to the boardwalk. Soon, the view of the ferris wheel and the smell of corn dogs and the fresh ocean threw Beca back into her nostalgia trip. She definitely had to visit her mother soon.

Beca watched the swarm of people crowd the dock and beach, most with smiles on their faces and something in their hands; ice cream cones, bottles of sunblock, sand buckets and drinks. This was the epitome of a summer on the beach. And Beca was ready for whatever was to come. They got closer and closer to it with every passing second until they were there.

Beca furrowed her brows when Chloe missed the turn to pull up into the lot, but up ahead was another entrance.

Chloe missed that one too.

Soon, they were driving away from the boardwalk, away from the people, away from civilization. Towards isolation upon unpaved, gravel roads.

"So, we're not going to the boardwalk?" Beca asked, watching the rides in the mirror shrink with each saddened breath she took.

"We are, later though. I just want to settle somewhere away from all the people. It's not a far walk."

The car came to a stop a few minutes later, facing nothing but sand and tall grasses that danced with the hot summer breeze.

Beca was confused when Chloe slowly inched forward, into the grasses that obscured their view of more grass and sand. She weaved the car between the small sand dunes until the ocean finally came into view again. Still, the car crept forward, down the slight slope, and into a u-turn so that the trunk faced the ocean, before coming to another stop.

Beca glanced around the beach. They were alone on both sides for quite some distance, no one wanted to venture this far away from the dock. She figured the boardwalk was the main attraction for this holiday, judging by the dense crowd she could see from there. She figured it would be quite the sight at night when the lights illuminate the sky.

Slowly, she turned her attention back to the redhead beside her who was sporting the brightest of smiles with her chest puffed out like a proud pigeon.

"So, what do you wanna do first?" Chloe chirped as she pulled the keys from the ignition.

"First?" Beca tilted her head from side to side in contemplation before her eyes settled on Chloe's lips.

She leaned closer as if the redhead's mouth drew her near like she was under some hypnosis. Closer and closer until her seat belt locked and refused to give her any more slack, just an inch away from Chloe. She tested it a few times, leaning back and forth, trying to disable the lock but was disappointed each time when she stopped within breathing distance of the redhead's lips. Her struggle prompted a giggle from Chloe who was having the time of her life.

Chloe leaned in and brushed the tip of her nose against Beca's, smiling at the sense of control she had over the tiny brunette. She felt Beca reach forward with her lips but was stopped just short again.

"Meet me halfway." Beca whispered.

"No."

"Why are you such a tease?" Beca whispered against Chloe's skin as their eyes met. She heard a click from below and glanced down at Chloe's hand that had just unbuckled her seatbelt.

"What did you just call me?" Chloe dared with a raised brow.

Beca smiled, leaning closer to Chloe's lips as she threw off the strap. She could practically feel them under hers. They just about touched before Chloe leaned back, kicked the door open, hopped out, and shut it, leaving her alone with her puckered mouth. ".. Goddammit."

"Hurry up!" Chloe shouted from outside.

She followed the redhead and sat down next to her on the trunk bed. "So, this is what we're doing? A day at the beach?"

"Pretty much.." Chloe sighed contently. "What do you think?" She asked, wincing an eye due to the bright sun.

"I think.." She glanced out into never ending ocean ahead and smiled. "You should have told me so we could've bought a bucket to make a sand castle."

Her response got a chuckle out of the redhead. "I regret it already."

Beca watched Chloe's eyes dart between her own and the ocean. "So, this your idea of a first date? No dinner and movie. A three and a half hour drive to spend a whole day at the beach?"

"Not really.." Chloe admitted. "But we don't need to get to know each other. I know you don't like movies and fancy dinners. I don't want to waste our time and money on something you won't even enjoy. And you should know by now that you and I," Chloe leaned closer, even going so far as to shoulder the brunette playfully. "We do things differently."

Beca smirked, averting her eyes back towards the sea. _You and I_. Yeah, she liked that. "Yeah.."

"Let's go swimming." Chloe whispered excitedly as she kicked her shoes off into the sand.

Beca watched her hop off the trunk and rip off her shirt as she whirled around the side of the car, revealing her almost bare torso for half a second before the truck obscured her view. And what a great view it was.

The sound of ocean waves rolling in before getting pulled back into the sea was as calming as it was hypnotic. Before long, Chloe was done changing and already dashing towards the water in a simple striped bikini. Beca laughed as the redhead screamed the second she collided with a wave, yelling obscenities she didn't know Chloe cared for.

"Come on in, the water's fine!" Chloe hollered, neck deep in the water before getting engulfed in another tide.

"Didn't sound like it!" Beca shouted back. She was a bit hesitant to follow the redhead, hell, she could barely swim in a pool, let alone the ocean with waves to drown her and weird ass ocean shit to step on.

She grinned when she spotted Chloe's fiery head popping out of the water.

"Don't make me come get you!" Chloe threatened, half gurgling salt water. "I'm gonna come get you!"

"Uh," Beca shook her head and waved her off. "I'm okay, thanks! You do your thing!" She swallowed hard when Chloe emerged from the sea. Making her way to her and taking her sweet time too.

Chloe shook the water out of her red hair as she fixed her bikini bottom. She slipped her fingers in both sides of the back to pick her wedgie, biting her lip when she noticed where Beca's eyes were trained. She chuckled at the ridiculousness of what she was doing, there Beca was, staring at her so intently and barely breathing as she was struggling with her wedgie. _Sex god._ She laughed to herself.

Beca pinched herself, literally. It hurted. She wondered why the hell Chloe was chuckling to herself, she swore everything was happening in slow motion. Either way, she loved that smile. And that body. And that face. Hell, the whole woman, really.

Beca's lips curved into a grin the closer she got. Until she was there.

Chloe planted her hands on the trunk bed somewhat forcefully, on either side of Beca. "Change." She demanded, holding her chin low so she could glare into Beca's indecisive eyes.

".. I wanted to eat first-"

"Change." She repeated, leaning closer so that her hair was now dripping on Beca's shirt.

Beca hesitated, her eyes couldn't help glancing down at least once-twice at Chloe's glistening chest. She couldn't breathe, so she coughed a few times to get her lungs working again. "Uh, well, I was goi-"

"Do you need help?"

".. I-I'm sorry, what?" Beca tilted her head in confusion. She must've heard wrong.

Chloe smirked. "Do you need help? I could help if you want."

So, she heard right. Great.

"I-," She stammered. "Y-No. No, I don't. I don't think-"

"You don't think?"

Beca chuckled nervously. "What- What are you doing? Dude.. I can't deal with you." She shook her head before settling with a smile. "I'll change, okay? Just don't look.."

"No promises. I've seen you naked before.." Chloe leaned back to give her room to slide off the trunk. "I gotta admit I miss the view."

Beca blushed as she tried not to rush into the car. There was no way in hell she was changing out in the open where Chloe could see and potentially, endlessly comment on in the future.

Changing inside the car was .. fucking hard. She hit her elbow against the window more than once and her knees on the glove compartment even more times. Not to mention how long it took to get her damn skinny jeans off. After getting her swimsuit on, a black one piece with cuts to show off her waist, she counted to three and hopped out the car. The second her feet touched the sand, she heard a whistle from the redhead, causing her to roll her eyes on instinct to distract herself from the blush forming on her cheeks. As she reached back into the car for the sunblock, Chloe's voice came from behind.

"Want me to get your back for you?"

She slowly turned to face her. "I think I got it."

Chloe raised her hands in surrender as she back pedaled away. "Just trying to help."

They made their way to the sea once Beca was done applying the sunscreen. Chloe had a permanent grin on her lips, she playfully shouldered the brunette who retaliated in equal force.

Beca planted herself down on the sand once they reached the water, close enough to feel the tide reach her knees but not much further.

"You're not going in?" Chloe asked from above.

She squinted up at her. "Yeah, I will. When the waves decide to calm the hell down."

Chloe wrinkled her nose in sympathy before dropping herself next to her. "Wanna make a sand castle in the meantime?"

A smile graced Beca's lips.

They did all they could with the tools they had, which were nothing but their bare hands. Half an hour they spent pouring all their effort into making a castle which ended up looking more like a mountain pass than anything. Still, pride swelled in their hearts as they stuck blades of tall grass into the peaks and small sticks in its surroundings to form a border. It wasn't a small feat; building their beautiful knee-high fortress, and they rewarded each other with a kiss when they deemed it finished.

"I'm hungry." Beca mumbled as Chloe smiled at the Polaroid she just took of them lying beside their mighty castle.

Chloe stood and brushed the sand off her side before pulling the brunette up. "Let's go find some food then."

They locked up the car after grabbing a few things; their phones and a twenty dollar bill that Chloe stuffed in her top, and began their trek. Beca wouldn't be herself if she didn't make a stripper joke about the fact.

"So, you _did_ choose exotic dancing over teaching children."

Chloe gave her a smug look, seemingly unimpressed. "What can I say? The tips are just too good to pass up." She countered, softly pushing Beca towards the ocean. She giggled when Beca rushed back to her side, trying to avoid contact with the cold seawater.

"Don't." Beca warned after seeing Chloe's eyes light up like she just had the greatest idea ever. "Don't you dare."

Chloe went to block her path as Beca tried to swing onto the opposite side of the redhead. "Where are you going, Beca?" She pulled the smaller girl in her arms as Beca shrieked.

"No! Chloe, it's cold!" Beca swung her arms wildly, narrowly missing Chloe's face a few times. "Chloe!" She screamed as Chloe's arms tightened around her waist. "I can't swim in the ocean!"

"I got you, beb." Beca's limbs were wrapped around her now, holding on for dear life. Chloe felt the water submerge her ankles as Beca weighed her down. "Oh my God! Let go! You're heavy, Beca!"

"Chloe-Chlo!" Beca squeezed her tighter when she felt her foot dip into the sea. "Baby, please-"

Chloe stopped and tilted her head.

Baby? _Baby_. She didn't quite know how she felt about that. On one hand, Beca just called her "Baby" and holy shit, if that wasn't monumental then she didn't know what was. But on the other, she found herself kind of rejecting the name in a way, they established their pet names years ago; "Beb" she liked that, it was homey and familiar. But, then again, that was what they called each other when they were just friends. Maybe they should make the transition? But did any of that even matter? Chloe was probably thinking too much again, as always. And Beca just opened the door to a whole new world of possibilities. Possibilities being, well, being able to call Beca "baby" back. Exciting stuff.

"Baby?" Chloe raised a brow teasingly.

"Is-" Beca glanced between the freezing blue sea below her and the warm blue eyes trained on her. "Uh- Yeah.. B-Baby? Beb? Please? Don't do this." Her foot was submerged now, the water was up to Chloe's knees and Beca couldn't climb any higher. She was losing time and space and her muscles were starting to give out. Chloe was starting to bend at her waist from her weight and if she didn't convince Chloe to set her down on dry land soon, then she'll be underwater within less than a minute.

She jumped the gun and planted her lips on Chloe's, kissing her as frantically as she could as she felt herself being slowly lowered towards the water. Still, she held on. "Chloe, don't-" She whispered desperately against Chloe's face.

"One more kiss?" Chloe teased before Beca's lips came crashing on hers again. She grinned against Beca's kisses that were practically only coming into contact with her teeth. She let out a giggle against Beca's mouth.

Beca felt Chloe take a step and stopped to look at her. She stared at her with wide eyes as Chloe bit her lips.

That step was taken in the wrong direction; towards to ocean, away from the warm and dry sand. The water was halfway up her calf now.

"I'm sorry?" Chloe whispered through a guilty grin.

Her heart stopped. "Oh, you bit-"

They fell into a wave- a cold, freezing tide, as Chloe lunged into the water. Beca screamed as much as she could underwater, the saltiness coated her mouth and she sputtered and cried out once she finally emerged.

"Fuuuck!" She gurgled and coughed. "I'm breaking up with you!" Another wave crashed into them, making Beca scream out again in a flurry of curse words. "I wasn't ready!"

Chloe made her way to the brunette, laughing shamelessly. "I had to- I'm sorry."

"Auugh!" Beca screamed at the sky. " _Fuck_!" Every muscle in her body was flexed, trying to fend off the cold. "Sorry, my frozen ass!"

Beca treaded back to the sand as Chloe followed close behind. She collapsed into the warm grains, burying her arms deep within them in an attempt to absorb the heat.

"You good?" Chloe asked, still chuckling.

Beca watched the water from her nose drip onto the sand below and gritted her chattering teeth. "I'm far from good.." She stood and faced the redhead who didn't seem bothered by the cold of the ocean. "I'm gonna get you back. I swear I will."

Chloe laughed in her face as she shivered angrily. "I'm sorry, I'll buy you food? However much you want, as long as it's under twenty bucks." She reached for the brunette's hand and smiled when Beca didn't pull away. "Come on."

They were content with the joining of their hands. Neither wanted to let go and somewhere in the time it took them to get to the boardwalk, they began swinging them wildly just for laughs. Very nearly dislocating their shoulders in the process.

Their hands stayed locked together as they weaved through the mass of people in search of food. They settled on corn dogs and drinks after enviously watching a small child munch on his like the world was ending tomorrow. After buying their food, they spent some time on the dock, just watching the waves crashing into each other and talking until they both were finished. Chloe even showed Beca where her name was carved under the dock, half of it was covered in barnacles now but it was still there, proudly waiting for Chloe's return. In return, Beca took her on a ride on the ferris wheel. They didn't kiss at the top. "Too cliché", Beca said. Chloe happily settled with a kiss to Beca's cheek and blushed when Beca did the same.

They decided to return to the boardwalk later and made their walk back to the truck as the sun sunk lower in the sky.

Beca sat beside their sand castle as Chloe pulled out the comforter and pillows from the car and tossed them into the truck bed. She watched her intently as she climbed into the trunk, laying out the blankets and propping up the pillows as neatly as she could.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to make a move tonight." Beca called out.

"Think what you want to think.." Chloe glanced over her shoulder. "Do what you want to do."

Beca hesitated before deciding to change the subject. "You really expect me to sleep out here?"

"Yes." Chloe smiled to herself, finally allowing herself to sit against the cushions. "You have to admit, I'm super romantic."

"If you say so." Beca stood, brushing the sand from herself before climbing into the trunk to sit with her. She crawled slowly to her, stopping just shy of her face. "It's gonna be cold at night."

"If you get cold just scoot closer to me." Chloe licked her lips proudly and smirked. "I'll keep you warm."

* * *

The sun was setting now, and as the sky got darker, one by one, the rides and booths lit up their stands to illuminate the boardwalk in the distance. The ferris wheel flickered to life, acting as the beacon of attraction, emitting a whole spectrum of colors.

The two girls were sitting in the trunk, tired from- not so much swimming- but more so splashing and dunking each other in the sea. Even burying each other in the sand and seeing if they could get out on their own, it was a lot harder than they thought it would be. The container of mixed berries Chloe had packed in the morning was half gone and so was the cool whip they used as dip.

The lower the sun got, the more Chloe seemed anxious. She constantly checked the time on her phone, only stopping to sing along to the music playing from Beca's bluetooth speakers or to chat with Beca.

It's not every day Beca gets frustrated with Chloe. The last time she could recount being angry with Chloe was when they were at the lodge. And most of that frustration had more to do with herself than with Chloe. So, it seemed unfair for her to count that. She wasn't anywhere near angry now, but she had to admit that Chloe constantly looking at her phone was a bit annoying.

"Why do you keep checking your phone?" Beca reached for the device. "You promised no interruptions. Remember that?"

Chloe smiled, keeping the phone as far away from Beca as she could. "I'm just checking something." She said softly against Beca's ear.

"Every thirty seconds?" Beca crossed her arms and pouted. Her arms were just a little too short, apparently. "What are you checking?"

"None of your business."

Beca gasped audibly, bringing her hand to her chest. "Well, excuuuse me."

"Relax, I'm just checking the time." She smirked.

"Is there someone else? Is she hot at least?" Beca joked. "Can we at least have a three-"

"Stop!" Chloe yelled, clasping her hand over the brunette's mouth to shut her up. She didn't particularly enjoy the feeling of Beca's teeth gnawing at her palm but she was not going to let Beca finish that sentence. "Don't you dare."

Beca fell over as Chloe's weight shifted onto her, still, she couldn't stop laughing. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She muffled before realizing her hands and where they were placed on Chloe's body.

"Threesomes? You're gross."

Slowly, her hidden smile turned hesitant. She grazed her thumbs on either side of Chloe, rubbing softly on her waist. "Could be fun?" She joked before feeling the redhead's hands press slightly harder than before against her lips.

"I'm not good with sharing."

She glanced at Chloe's free hand that was propped on the cushion beside her head. Her fingers were stroking her brown locks.

Her nails were shorter than usual. Neatly clipped.

They met gazes and Beca blushed furiously. Her heart was pounding, pump after pump, the blood rushed to her face, thankfully mostly hidden under Chloe's palm. Still, no one was to say Chloe didn't physically feel the heat radiating from Beca's face.

There was a long quiet beat. The waves crashed against the shore. A woman screamed at the chill of the sea in the distance. No breaths were taken between the two.

Chloe pulled herself off the brunette and smiled. "Sorry.." She blushed, pushing her hair behind her ears as Beca propped herself on an elbow.

"You know, you say.. these things but," Beca licked her lips before looking into Chloe's eyes. "Everything you do says otherwise."

The redhead hesitated. "What do you mean?"

Beca let out an amused breath. "Uh, let's see." She sat up beside the redhead and counted on her fingers. "You said you wanted to wait but then you go and you promise me no interruptions and you've been good on your word so far. You packed that bikini. You slapped my ass earlier." She chuckled lightly. "You tell me we're spending a night under the stars and claim to be super romantic. You asked me if I needed help changing. You packed a shit load of cranberries, and I only know about that because my cousin had a urinary tract infection once and she told me about their other.. capabilities." She grinned and pointed at the redhead's hand. "You clipped your nails.. extra short." She said softly, watching the blush grow on Chloe's cheeks. "Not to mention when you told me: do what you want to do.." Beca lowered her voice into a whisper. "Now, how am I supposed to interpret that, Chlo?"

Chloe glanced back at the ocean, the sharp but steady gaze Beca was giving her was suggestive to say the least. Not to mention the fact that Beca was calling her out on literally every subconscious decision she had made leading up to this moment. It was quite thrilling if she was being honest. She wasn't planning on this by any means, it just sort of turned out this way. Pure coincidence? Maybe? She wasn't even sure if she believed that. Of course she wanted Beca, in every way she could. Maybe, under all the fake innocence she was hoping-praying that _something_ would happen. Then she wouldn't have to tell Beca to stop this time. And she wouldn't have to stop herself either. Maybe, when she told Aubrey nothing was going to happen, she was lying to herself too. Maybe she had been giving Beca mixed messages in hopes the brunette would figure out how to decrypt her signals and do something.

"Now, tell me.." Beca leaned in closer to whisper against her ear. "What _do_ you want?"

She met her eyes before letting out a shuddering breath. ".. You know what I want." She quietly breathed out.

If Beca wasn't so close to her lips, she's certain she wouldn't have been able to hear her.

She marveled in the feeling of Chloe's breath on her lips and her thighs under her palms. She didn't want to blink seeing the reflection of the ferris wheel in Chloe's eyes. The bright colors shining through the night captured in Chloe's steady gaze. The lights brought something forgotten back into her train of thought. "Crap.. That reminds me." She pulled away and hopped off the trunk, circling around to lunge into the car.

Chloe took the time to catch her breath. She glanced around nervously as she composed herself. Did Beca just reject her after coming on to her? What just happened? "Shit.. shit, shit." She whispered to herself.

Beca returned a moment later with a long rectangular box in her hand and a lighter in the other. "Come here." Beca waved her forward and walked off, stopping a few feet away from the truck.

"What is it?" Chloe croaked out of her dry throat as she approached the brunette.

Beca quickly smiled at her as she opened the box and pulled out two sparklers, tossing the box aside. She handed one to the bright eyed redhead and kept one for herself. "You said you've never celebrated The Fourth without lighting something so I got these from Stace. Didn't wanna let your tradition die because of me.. Surprise?"

Chloe smiled down at the stick in her hand. "Stacie gave you these?"

"Yeah.. well, I told her to hide it in the car before we got there." Beca nodded proudly. "You know," She stepped closer to redhead as if to tell her a secret. "You were right, Lily had some illegal ones and they're probably going bat-shit crazy with them right now." She licked her lips. "I figured they wouldn't miss these little ones." She sparked the lighter, holding it out for Chloe. "Light away, Red."

Chloe grinned with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "And I thought I was romantic." She lit hers, holding it to the tiny flame Beca held in her hands and chuckled as the stick sparkled in the night sky, shooting little explosions of white light between them. "I usually use these to write on the concrete but there's only sand here." She stared, transfixed by the glittering of the firecracker as she waved it in the empty space between them.

Beca smirked as she lit hers and stuck it into the sand. "I got an idea." She emptied out the box and held the sparklers together, using the one she lit to light the others before sticking them all in the sand, each about an inch away from the other to create a sparkling bonfire. "I mean, I'm not patient enough to light these and then wait for them to die one by one."

Chloe fell to her knees to place hers among the rest and jumped back up, running to the truck to turn up the volume of the music still playing, kicking sand in the air in her haste. She quickly returned to Beca's side and grabbed the brunette's hand to skip around their makeshift flame. Chloe occasionally stopped skipping to sing to Beca passionately. The brunette watched her intently, captivated by the swivel of her hips and the sway of her body. Periodically, they spun each other under an arm and chased each other around the center pyre. Sometimes even jumping over the cluster of sparklers joined together by interlocked fingers. Ridiculous was the word Beca used to describe Chloe's 'rain' dance, as the redhead claimed it to be. She stopped the redhead to show her how it was really done, stomping in the sand and waving her tiny arms toward the sky, kicking the grains into the air with the drop of her feet. Here and there they caught each other's eyes, neither wanting to blink or look away but inevitably doing so. Dismissing the sight of one another seemed insulting in a way, no, they had to _look_. To watch the smiles grow on their lips, reaching all the way up to wrinkle their glistening eyes. To see the way they blessed the tense air between them simply by moving, tossing their hair to and fro', just as sloppily as they were graceful. To witness the way the bright clusters of stars and galaxies, floating from billions of light years away to shine upon them, the core of hundreds if not thousands of stories and legends, seemed to fade into the background, humbled, like white noise compared to the other's presence.

It was.. magic, they would bet on it.

Much too soon the song ended and they gave in to the exhaustion. One more leap over the sparklers was all they could manage before tumbling to the ground on their knees and leaning back to fall into the sand. They chuckled at the sky, in disbelief or in amusement, they didn't know, all that really mattered was that they were happy.

Beca flipped over, wrapping an arm around Chloe, to watch the sparklers die out. Chloe watched it upside down, occasionally relaxing the strain in her neck to look at Beca above her who she knew felt her eyes on her. She was content when the brunette dragged her eyes away from the light to meet her soft gaze. They watched each other breath, counting the exhales like a ticking time bomb. Three, inhale, exhale. Two, inhale, exhale.

She stretched up and raked Beca's hair back slowly and gently, tucking some behind her ear.

One.

Inhale.

She reached up with her lips with as much purpose as she thought possible, pulling her face closer and pressing her lips onto Beca's.

Exhale.

Beca muffled delightedly under Chloe's thorough kiss, and she felt herself melting at her touch. It was gentle first but quickly turned desperate. Soon, Beca was the one pinned against the sand until Chloe ended it to stand. Beca took her offered hand and was quickly pulled up into another bold kiss.

She felt herself being ushered towards the trunk and quietly yelped in surprise when Chloe pushed her against the truck bed a little rougher than she expected. By now, most of the sparklers were burnt out and the few remaining were fading away until.. darkness. The only light being from the moon and stars and the boardwalk, all seeming so far away.

Chloe's lips moved down to her neck as she lifted the brunette onto the platform by an arm around her waist and another gripping her thigh. She restrained herself as Beca pulled away to scoot herself farther into the trunk and smiled when the brunette reached over to turn off the music.

Beca was really glad Chloe decided to bring the comforter now. She beckoned her closer with a finger and inhaled a sharp breath when the redhead's hands landed on her calves, slowly sliding up to her knees- thighs, as she crept closer. Chloe easily fitted herself in the newfound space between Beca's legs and smiled as her head drifted down to Beca's torso.

The tickle of Chloe's lips on her waist made Beca giggle lightly. She scooted herself up more to prop herself against the car as Chloe mouth met hers again.

They both tasted salty, probably from the ocean, and their lips were as chapped as ever but neither could find it in themselves to care.

The kiss soon became rugged, harder each time they came back for more. Until Chloe's hand slipped under the brunette's swimsuit at the cut on her waist. Her fingers reached upwards, towards Beca's breasts. She stopped just shy of them to bend herself lower for leverage. There was a pause before suddenly, her entire forearm was hidden under Beca's bathing suit and her hand was massaging the soft skin underneath.

"Do you wanna take this off?" Chloe breathed out against her lips.

The question caught Beca off guard. She was surely on the verge of unconsciousness. Chloe was nothing less than intoxicating. She didn't think things could be this _good_. Where's the catch?

She shouldn't have asked herself that.

Considering the circumstances, the thought of getting Chloe naked, or herself naked in front of Chloe, or hell, even both, was extremely _terrifying_. What if Chloe didn't like the way she did something? What if Beca didn't like the way Chloe did something? No, that's impossible, Chloe is practically a goddess, everything she does is perfect through Beca's eyes. Maybe she should try to snap out of her Chloe-is-perfect-daze soon. Later. But Beca on the other hand, was.. inexperienced, and suddenly very nervous. Chloe could definitely not like something and let it go unsaid because that's the person she is. No, no, no. Beca had to be prepared. Beca had to work out. Beca had to moisturize. Beca had to get the sand out of her cracks and crevices. Beca had to go get a wax.

Stupid, Beca. Why didn't she think of doing all of that before?

She turned away from the redhead's lips and tried to wriggle away.

"Whoa, whoa.." Chloe asked closely, pulling her hand away. "Are you okay? Did I go too far? I'm sor-"

"No. It's not anything you did- I'm just," She panted nervously sweating now. "I'm not a first date kinda gal." She struggled to meet Chloe's gaze and frowned. "I'm sorry."

_First date kinda gal._ Chloe knew that wasn't the reason for Beca to stop. But she really didn't want to push Beca any further. What kind of person would she be if she questioned that?

Chloe smiled, leaning closer to search for her eyes. ".. Bec-"

They jumped in fear when the sound of cannons cracked through the crisp night air, followed by a rainbow of colors illuminating the sky and the shattering of the explosions through the night. The sonic boom rattled their chests as they finally looked up.

They literally felt the explosions as they shot from the boats floating in the distance. It made their hearts pound faster like the pops recalibrated their cardiac rhythm. Chloe settled herself beside the brunette and together they watched the lights flash and fade against the night sky with linked hands. She rested her head on Beca's shoulders and sighed contently as Beca wrapped an arm around her, not bothering to let go of each other's hands.

In the distance they heard cheering, most likely from the people at the boardwalk. Between them was only eager breathing. No words were exchanged in fear of distracting from the beauty they were witnessing.

It was over much too soon and they were left staring into the stars in silence.

"Imagine if we were doing it while that was happening." Beca joked. "Would've been pretty cool.. aesthetically."

Chloe chuckled lightly, glancing back at her. "Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to fully perform without getting distracted."

Beca scoffed. "Oh, please. I would demand every ounce of your attention."

"You're so conceited sometimes, do you know that?" Chloe laughed.

"Yes." She squeezed Chloe's hand when the redhead turned away. After locking eyes, she smiled sweetly. "Hey, this was really nice.. All of it."

"Yeah?" Chloe grinned when Beca nodded. "I think so too."

"I'm," Beca hesitated, swallowing hard. "I'm glad we're doing.. _this_." She gestured between them before running her nervous hands though her stringy hair. "It's really, _really_ nice."

Chloe blushed under the brunette's sincere eyes. "Sucks that we waited so long." She pecked her cheek before scooting down a little and pulling the blanket over herself. Beca followed her lead.

"Hey, Chlo?" Beca whispered, not bothering to turn to the redhead.

"Yeah?"

"I appreciate the romantic gesture and all, sleeping under the stars, but.. I am definitely not going to be able to sleep out here in the open without being a little paranoid and cold. I'm gonna be honest with you, this is a little impractical."

Chloe sighed, seeming more relieved than offended. "Me neither. Plus, my swimsuit is still damp and sandy.. This was a better idea in my head, I promise."

"How about we just change and sleep inside the car instead?" Beca hesitantly suggested.

"That's a really good idea."

Without incident they both changed, taking turns holding up a towel for the other to get dressed behind. As soon as they were both done, they stuffed themselves in the backseat of the car, fitting comfortably together on top of the layers of pillows and cushion they decided to keep with them. Beca had quickly and easily learned to find comfort and safety in Chloe's arms. The kind Chloe was familiar with when she was in hers.

"Hey, Beca?" Chloe whispered against the brunette's neck after they finally got comfortable.

"Hm?"

"I'm glad it's you.." Chloe paused. "Whatever struggles we had to go through to get here. Where we are. I'm glad it turned out this way. 'Cause I like this.. _a lot_."

Beca closed her eyes. "Me too." She smiled to herself after feeling Chloe's hesitant lips on her neck.

"Goodnight, Beca."

"Goodnight.. Chloe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BASE. NUMBER. TWOOOO!


	30. "We Did It"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are finals going for everyone? Me? OH IM FINE. FINE GUYS. HALFWAY THROUGH, GETTING MY ASS KICKED AND DECIDED TO FINALLY UPLOAD THIS BITCH OF A CHAPTER. honestly, this chapter was a bitch. im sorry its short. im sorry i havent uploaded in a while. im sorry..... I told you refuse to abandon this!

It wasn't.. attractive, by any means, or at least not by Beca's apparently high standards.

The late afternoon sun poured into their living room, casting a light tint of orange on everything in its path. It was extremely humid that particular day, and the hum of the AC hanging from their window was the only consistent noise. Beca was sweating despite not moving from the couch since she got home, even when Chloe got home and started screaming words she honestly was too tired to listen to.

But now here she is. In the same spot. Just with a little more attention to give to the black and white photograph of the peanut in Aubrey's belly that was held just a few inches from her face.

Wait, no. Not a peanut. No.

A cashew?

Beca tilted her head in contemplation, squinting intently at the square-cut paper.

Yes, definitely a cashew.

But one of those deformed cashews that absorbed a sibling cashew and now had little nubs for limbs.

The little nut was nothing more than a bundle of tissues with (supposedly) a heartbeat. It hadn't even developed fingers or toes yet, but the sight had Beca's lips stretched thin and her eyes glistening, just a little. Though, she'd never admit it.

Without a conscious thought, her hands drifted up to take the picture from the ecstatic redhead across from her.

It was quiet, for just a moment, as she took it all in.

Because, yeah, she needed a minute.

This _paper_ she held in her dainty hands was evidence of a _living being_ growing inside of her _friend_. Her friend that's barely three years older than she is.

Is this what it feels like to be old? An.. _adult_? Part of the last generation?

_Holy shit._

She couldn't tear her eyes away, no matter how much she wanted to meet Chloe's beaming gaze that threatened to raise the fine hairs on the nape of her neck.

"Isn't it the cutest?" Chloe scooted closer. She deserved some kind of award for keeping her excitement, for the most part, reserved. Not counting when she was literally squealing at the clinic, squeezing Luke's arm until the skin flushed red with tenderness. She shouldn't have even been in the room with them but well, no one can truly say no to Chloe when she uses her puppy dog eyes, not even a professional sonographer who had been at the job for an upcoming 15 years.

"I mean, not really." Beca couldn't exactly keep the reins on her sarcasm, no matter how much she wanted to try for Chloe.

"Excuse me?" Chloe waited patiently for her attempt at redemption, frowning a little when they locked eyes. She kept her expression as fixed as a marble sculpture. "What did you just say about my nibling?"

Beca let out an amused breath. ".. What did you just say?"

"What? Nibling?" Her stone cold visage melted into a childish grin.

"Yeah," The brunette squinted at her. "What the hell is a nibling?"

"Isn't it adorable? Since we don't exactly know the gender of the baby yet, I couldn't call it my niece or nephew, you know? So, I googled gender neutral terms and 'nibling' came up in the results and I don't know about you, but I just love it!" She pointed at the little bugger in the photo. "Look, it even looks like a nibling."

"That, it does." Beca replied, sighing audibly, still trying to grasp the idea of her friend carrying a child. "Where is Aubrey anyways?"

Chloe plucked the photo from the brunette's hands and tossed it onto the coffee table beside Beca's feet with the intent of framing it later. "I thought it would be good for her to go shopping with Luke on her own since he came all this way for the ultrasound appointment. They need to be.. parent-y together. And they need to talk, you know?"

Beca nodded in acknowledgement before getting up and dragging her feet into the kitchen. She grabbed the last bag of gummy bears from one of the cupboards, only to have it snatched out of her hands by a certain fiery headed girl who turned a cheek and walked off into the hallway without another thought. Beca found her a moment later, in her room, making herself at home in the brunette's bed. She pressed play on her laptop that sat idly by, letting it shuffle through her Spotify; embarrassing pop songs and all. She knew Chloe would praise her for having those songs on her Spotify. There could be no judgment in Chloe's eyes.

"I still can't believe she's pregnant.." Beca mumbled, letting her mind wander as she settled herself beside Chloe.

"I know, it's kind of a weird feeling right?"

"Yeah.." She replied, helping herself to the candy.

"So, what about you?" Chloe asked, pushing herself higher against the wall to get comfortable.

"Hm?"

".. Kids." Chloe smiled softly. "Do you think you might have a kid one day? Or, _kids_."

"Me? Kids?" Beca chuckled quietly, considering the idea of herself being a mother. She couldn't decide whether the feeling in her stomach in response to the question was disgust or fondness. There was no in between, that, she was quite sure of. Kids. You either hate them or love them. "I don't know.." She tossed a gummy bear in her mouth and shrugged. "Uh, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to survive giving birth." She joked. "I think I'd die in the birthing chair."

Chloe let out a giggle as she absently fiddled with her fingers. The kind of giggle that made Beca want to become a comedian just to hear it again. "Okay, but being a mother. Do you think you could do it? Like, one day? Hypothetically. Like if you had a home, a steady paycheck.."

"I don't know, Chlo.. maybe? I'd probably do it wrong though.." Beca grinned, shouldering her so they could meet gazes. "What about you?"

Chloe suckled on the corner of her bottom lip.

She remembered spending hours upon hours some days, playing house in her playroom. Which was nothing more than a deep storage closet big enough to fit a small table complete with a tea set and a toy house. All hidden behind a maze of bulk paper towels, brooms and vacuums. So, yeah, she could see herself in a home with a white picket fence one day, she'd imagined it plenty of times before. But even if she could visualize the tree house in the backyard and the bella mementos in the attic, she wasn't sure if she wanted it anytime soon, or at all really. If things go well, she would be working with children every single weekday. So, she wasn't sure if having to deal with children at both work and home was something she desired. Though, with time comes change, and she knew her maternal instinct would most likely kick in soon like a leech demanding all of her attention. She knew she had plenty of time, though.

"Maybe.. One day." She shrugged, averting her gaze away from Beca again and focusing her thoughts on more immediate concerns that plagued her mind in the most recent hours. "So, question."

"Shoot." came Beca's nonchalant reply.

Chloe hesitated for a moment before Beca's hand found hers. After turning it over, she focused her attention on the lines on Beca's palm, tracing them softly and watching her fingers curl at the tickle. "I don't want you to think I'm rushing you or anything but.." Her voice trailed off, causing Beca to lean in expectantly. She continued. "When are we going to tell everyone? About us?"

The question caught Beca a bit unguarded. Even thinking about telling them made her a little anxious. Actually, very anxious. Maybe it was the fact that she had to officially come out. Maybe it was the 'I told you so' looks that she could already feel making her blood boil. She was too proud for that. Way too proud.

Not to mention how frustratingly worried she was now. Why couldn't they all just know already so it wouldn't have to be such a big deal? Why couldn't Aubrey tell them all for the sake of gossip? Why did she have to actually have to face this new, intimidating obstacle that she really didn't want to bother with.

But judging from the redhead's wrinkled brow and pleading eyes, Beca could tell Chloe didn't like keeping this from the Bellas. She had always told the Bellas everything and for Beca to ask her to keep their relationship a secret would be selfish. Not that she really wanted it to be a secret anyways. Because she knew keeping secrets from the Bellas never turns out great, even if Chloe is with her on this one.

Maybe with Chloe beside her it will be easier.

And she didn't know why this issue was barely surfacing now. Maybe they should have told the girls when they first kissed. Maybe the girls already knew. The fact is that they didn't tell anyone except Aubrey, _officially_. So, Chloe was right, they needed to tell them. And the fact that Chloe kept her lips zipped for _days,_ not even hinting at the very thought of telling them was quite impressive if Beca was being honest. This was big, and it deserved an audience even if Beca didn't want one, and Chloe deserved to talk about it to someone who wasn't Aubrey.

Beca curled her fingers around Chloe's, catching her hand to squeeze it softly. "Invite them over."

* * *

"Stop having sex, I'm home!" Aubrey yelled through the crack of the door before opening it and peeking inside. Behind her was Luke, tall and as dashing as ever. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before relaxing.

"Oh," He chuckled. "I thought you were serious."

"I am."

Chloe emerged from the hallway, smiling widely just in time to see his eyes widen again. "What did you guys ge-" Suddenly she was in the air, held in a tight hug that she returned without question. Soon, Beca appeared, staring for a little before meeting Aubrey's unimpressed eyes and gesturing to the two hugging between them.

"I told him." Aubrey said, answering both Beca's and Chloe's confused glances.

Soon, after putting Chloe down, it was Beca's turn. She tried to fight him off, but Luke had apparently slowed down on the burgers. Aubrey's (previous) doing, no doubt. Beca wondered if he was going to pick back up on those. She frowned at Chloe from her view on Luke's shoulder.

"Beca! Oh, hell! I'm so proud of you!" He dropped her on her feet and grinned widely. "Redhead's huh? Who'd have known?" He patted her back proudly.

"Yeah.." Beca mumbled, blushing at the floor.

"I knew Jesse wasn't the dude for you. He was too clingy and.." Luke frowned. "Clingy! So clingy. Couldn't take rejection. And who the hell does he think he is, telling me to cut down on burgers? I can eat all the burgers I want to eat. I'm a grown man, I know what I'm doing, I hit the gym on a daily basis. I bet I can take him in a fight if I wanted. There's a reason why I didn't put him on full time."

Beca squinted at him. "Yeah, Luke, dude um.. do you mind?"

"Oh!" He turned to Chloe apologetically. "Sorry, Chloe. To be fair, I said I knew they wouldn't work out. So, I was dishing on the guy."

Chloe smiled sweetly. "It's no problem, Luke."

A lazy knock interrupted them and Luke quickly dashed over to open it.

Stacie looked surprised to see that it was Luke who opened the door for them. She stood, backed by the rest of the Bellas and when he greeted them happily. She hesitated, trying to greet the man politely despite her biased feelings.

Beca would be lying if she said she didn't see the hurt in Stacie's eyes when they landed on Aubrey.

After being yelled at to hurry up by a certain Australian friend, she made her way in, averting her eyes from pretty much everyone, making a beeline for the couch.

Even with the girls chatting and smiling about nothing, Chloe could feel the tension in the room.

"I hope you guys brought drinks!" She yelled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Amy shot her an offended look and held up the case of beer that she had been apparently holding onto the whole time. "Of course we brought drinks, who do you think we are?!"

"Good.." Beca mumbled to herself. "I'm gonna need it." She felt a gentle palm on the small of her back, she didn't need to turn to see who it belonged to. Chloe's hands were home to her.

"We'll be okay," hummed Chloe's soft voice from behind. "you'll see."

After more than a few sips of liquid courage, Beca finally told Chloe she was ready and together they made their way to the front of the room. Chloe sat her bottle on the coffee table and eagerly cleared her throat. She met each of the Bella's eyes, one after the other, some more attentive than the next.

"Bellas! Sisters! There is a reason you are all here today."

Beca wiped her sweaty palms on her leggings. She didn't quite know what to look at so she settled for staring at Chloe's wine cooler.

Chloe took a deep breath and continued after glancing at the nervous brunette beside her. "The truth is that there is a matter we need to address. Beca.. and I.. We've decided to tell you all that.. we-" She sighed in nervous frustration. "Last week at Aubrey's bachelorette party, well after it technically. Beca and I, we k-"

"Oh my god!" Jessica clapped her hand over her mouth and stood from her seat beside Ashley. "Guys! It's happening!"

Beca glanced at Chloe in confusion.

Apparently it seemed to mean something to the rest of the girls who all seemed to follow her lead. Their eyes widened and suddenly everyone was standing with their mouths agape.

There was a long beat where no words were exchanged.

Stacie was the first to step forward with outstretched hands.

"May I be the first to congratulate you." She took both their hands in each of her own and smiled, misty eyed. "I remember when I first thought you two would be cute together.. It feels like yesterday." She blinked the tears back. "Wait no, it feels like almost five years ago because it took that fucking long!" She pulled them in a tight hug and kissed the tops of their heads. "I'm so proud of you two.. finally getting your shit together. To be honest, I thought this day would never come. But looking at you two now, I hate myself for not having faith."

It continued like that for a while, each of the Bellas stepping forward, surprisingly all looking like they could start crying any second. Neither Beca or Chloe could find the words to express their confusion, so they stood there, quietly listening to each of the girls. Listening and letting the warm words find their way into their hearts. The girls each offered their congratulations until it finally ended with a toast.

"To Bhloe!" Amy announced with her bottle held high above her head. "Because everyone loves a good Bhloe!"

Beca wanted to roll her eyes, she could almost feel them doing it. But instead, to her surprise, her lips curled into a tiny smirk. She felt happy, like she should have felt this way a long time ago. And content. So utterly content that it was overwhelming. And everyone giving her the brightest smiles they could manage with their drinks held high in the air only made the feeling stronger. Her vision went blurry and she knew she was crying.

She tried to fight it, she really did. But when Chloe's arms came to scoop her into a warm hug that was intended to help, she felt the dam break, and the tears came pouring out. She hid her face in Chloe's shoulder, trying hard not to get snot on it.

"Ah! Beca's crying!" Stacie taunted.

"Shut the fuck up and let me have this!"

"You fucking softie!" She ran forward to join the hug and soon everyone followed, even Luke.

They don't know who started the chant but it was _someone_. Someone Beca promised to kill later. "Bhloe! Bhloe! Bhloe!" She swore she was going to go deaf. Still, she laughed. That is, until the harmless chanting took an unexpected turn, and instead of "Bhloe" the screams in Beca's ears could only be interpreted as one word. Again and again and again pounding in her head, deeper each time like a hammer on a nail.

" _Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!_ "

She shook her head no. To hell with you guys, she thought, in your dreams, over my dead body. All of it and more.

But she didn't resist when Chloe's hands came up to cup her cheeks and lift her head.

The redhead leaned in close to her ear. "Some friends, huh?"

"The worst."

"You talking shit?!" Amy's voice came from somewhere behind Chloe, somehow still managing to be heard despite the yelling.

Chloe ignored the blonde now threatening to fight them both and focused on the chanting that seemed to get louder the closer she got to Beca's now grinning lips.

Until finally they touched. Soft and simple. Sweet and sincere.

The screams were definitely going to cause some damage to their eardrums.

And Beca is definitely going to get a bruise because someone decided it was a good idea to stomp on her foot. She ended the kiss quickly and buried her face in Chloe's shoulder, using it to muffle her pained whimpers.

"Okay.. Okay!" Chloe waved everyone away, effectively dispersing the group and soon everyone was doing their own things again.

After a few more drinks, there came another knock on the door. Chloe danced to the door with a drink in her hand. "Kelsey!"

The woman grinned widely. "Hey, Chloe."

"Come in! Have a beer!" Chloe waved her in and stepped aside. She glanced down and spotted Blue at Kelsey's feet. The dog looked bigger than before, maybe even a little fatter. Of course Chloe knew she was pregnant, she took this as a sign of good health. "Blue!" She squealed excitedly.

Beca's head swiveled to the door. "Kelsey! And Blue!" She vaulted herself over the couch and ran to the dog. "Blue!" She dropped herself to the floor and pulled her onto her lap. "Oh my God, Blue, where have you been? I missed you!" She spoke passionately, ruffling Blue's ears.

"So what's up?" Kelsey asked.

"Kelsey!" Amy yelled from her seat, interrupting Chloe mid thought. "Chloe and Beca are finally official! Celebrate with us!"

Chloe watched the smile grow on Kelsey's lips. "I knew it would work out for you two."

Chloe pulled the woman into her arms, squeezing her tight. She pulled away soon after, seemingly apologetic for her burst of affection. "So, how's Blue?"

"Well, she's pregnant." Kelsey joked, earning a chuckle from Beca who was still on the floor. "She's a champ, been exercising.. all good. I'm gonna have to get her spayed once all the babies are out."

"Whoa!" Luke whispered as he fell to his knees beside Beca. "She's a beautiful dog."

"I'd say thanks but I'm not exactly her biological mother." Kelsey replied.

Chloe's eyes lit up. "Oh! Luke, meet Kelsey! Kelsey, Luke."

Luke politely stood, clapping his hands on his pants before firmly shaking Kelsey's hand.

Chloe pulled Beca up by her arm and led her away to let the two mingle. "Hey, I was playing with Blue.."

"I'm proud of you." Chloe whispered after pulling her into the restroom and locking the door behind them.

Beca hesitated. "What did I do?"

"You didn't freak out." Chloe nodded, those weren't the exact words she was looking for but they'll do. "You let yourself feel." She whispered, a bit closer this time.

Beca tilted her head, dumbstruck.

Chloe's smile reminded her of hood night for some reason. When Chloe said they were going to be really fast friends. She remembered it like it was yesterday; the way Chloe held her hands close, the way she slightly nodded as she leaned in as if she was going to kiss her like how she was now.

Except this time their lips met.

And Beca can taste the cherry lime wine cooler on her.

And she thinks maybe she should try that flavor after she's done with her green apple. Because cherry lime is absolutely delicious. Especially when it's on Chloe.

"Ready to go back out there?"

"No." Beca grinned as Chloe straightened out her shirt. "Not at all."

The redhead chuckled lightly. She tugged on Beca's shirt one last time before finally meeting her eyes again.

It felt like something needed to be said in that moment. Maybe an "I love you". Maybe even "I like you". Literally anything. But they stayed quiet, watching each other's minds try to find the right words to say.

A faint smile began to appear on the redhead's lips after a quiet second. She really couldn't help it.

Beca offered her own genuine smile back and soon they were both laughing.

Neither really knew why they were laughing, they just _were._ The feelings they kept hidden, the happiness that was a secret was now spilling out in the most purest of forms. In _laughter._ Maybe the realization of what just happened finally dawned on them, there, in a locked bathroom staring into each other's electric blue eyes.

_They_ are not a secret anymore. They can hold hands and kiss without expecting the usual looks. They were _accepted_. Not that there was any doubt. Still, it felt good. So damn good.

Chloe was the first to quiet down, she wiped her joy filled tear and pulled Beca into another tender hug. "We did it."

Beca nodded against her. "Yeah, we did." She lightly kissed the redhead's forehead and led her back outside.

* * *

"Not yet." Chloe rolled her eyes. "And I really would rather not talk about this, guys."

Aubrey and Stacie both frowned from their seats across from her. They sat on Chloe's bed, the other girls were still in the living room/kitchen. Stacie apparently wanted to "talk to Chloe alone" and Aubrey couldn't help herself from the girl talk.

"What do you mean not yet?" Stacie leaned in closer. "Like you guys are waiting or.."

"Well not exactly."

"Wait, so the date was a fail?" Aubrey asked.

"No, it- a fail? What does that even mean? It's not like I was-"Chloe frowned. "you know what? I'm not getting into this right now. No, it was great!"

Stacie narrowed her eyes at her. "Then what's the problem?"

The redhead sighed in defeat. "We almost- It almost happened. But.. sh- we stopped."

"Shh-?" Aubrey's eyes widened. "Shhh.. she. She stopped?"

"Aubrey, it doesn't matter. We both decided to not.. to not do that on our first date."

"I'm gonna go talk to her." Aubrey hopped to her feet.

"What?! No! Aubrey this is none of your-" The blonde was in the hallway before she could finish her sentence. ".. business. Oh my god." She made a move to follow but Stacie's hand held her back.

"It's too late now, cap."

* * *

"So, how are you holding up?" Beca asked quietly, trying to stay discreet.

Luke stared blankly at the label on his beer, he smirked, almost sarcastically. "I've-.. Her family. They keep calling me." His hand came up to scratch at the scruff of his new 'beard', if Beca could call it that yet. "Offering their condolences, you know? They pity me. But I should be pitied, I'm the loser.."

"Luke-"

"And to top it all off, we still haven't told them about the baby." Beca's heart dropped at the sound of his forced laughter. "That's going to be so.. _fun_. Don't you think so, Beca?" They locked gazes and Beca could see the hurt inside his eyes.

"When do you think you guys are going to tell them?"

He chuckled again before taking a sip of his beer. "It's all up to the woman.. 'innit?"

"You guys should talk about it, right? It has to happen some time."

"She's taking her sweet time. I don't blame her.." He leaned in close to whisper. "She's just scared." He pulled away as Aubrey approached them.

"Beca! My little.. alt-girl." Aubrey smiled at Beca's confused reaction. She turned to Luke apologetically. "Luke, may I steal her for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure." Luke replied, shooing them off before focusing on his drink again.

"Aubrey, what?"

"I need a word with you." She led Beca to the brunette's room and shut the door behind them.

"I have to admit, this is a little weird-"

"Why didn't you have sex with Chloe?"

Beca choked on her breath. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"I know it's your right to not have sex whenever you want but I just wanna know. Were you not feeling it? Was it her? No, Chloe takes very good care of her body. Did you want to wait?" Beca's head was spinning. She brought her hands up in a praying position and covered her mouth. She waited patiently for the blonde to finish. "Did you not like the date? Were you constipated? Are you a virgin? Are you asexual? No, that's impossible, I've seen the way you look at her." Aubrey frowned, suddenly disgusted at the thought of Beca checking out her best friend. "Gross.."

"You're hilarious and I'm leaving." She motioned to move past the blonde but stopped when Aubrey held her hand up. "Oh my God. You can't be serious right now."

"Well? What was it?"

"This is _none_ of your business."

"Oh please, how many times do I have to prove to you that it is."

Beca shook her head and gave her a hostile grin. "But it's really not, Aubrey. Look, I get it. You and Chloe are tight knit. But you coming to ask me why I didn't want to have sex with her on our date is _extremely_ inappropriate. And frankly, I don't need this."

To Beca's surprise, the blonde replied with a tight lipped smile. "Wow I'm proud of you. But listen, I don't care whatever reason you have. I know you wanted to do it. So stop being a little angsty, goth child and let me help you. Give me a reason. Did you just not want to? You weren't in the mood-"

"Why do you care so much?! It's just sex! It doesn't even have to happen! It's not some holy ritual every couple goes through-"

"Yes it is."

"What about asex-"

"You're not, and she's not. So, let's get you laid okay?" She wrinkled her nose as her lips stretched into a wicked grin.

"I can't believe this is happening." Beca scoffed in disbelief.

"Beca, I'm just trying to help you move things along okay? I have put up with you two ogling each other for the past-I don't even know how long, to be honest! You two have been wanting to do this since forever and the fact that it hasn't happened even though you've been together is, believe it or not, putting a strain on your relationship. Mind you! It's a small one, but it will get bigger the longer you wait! Plus, I literally have nothing else to do here in this boring apartment. So, if you're done, I would appreciate it if you could just give in and give me your reason."

".. I wasn't ready!" Beca threw her arms in the air, angry that Aubrey defeated her once again. "Okay?"

"Like emotionally ready?"

"No, like physically."

Aubrey gasped. "You're a virgin?!"

"What?! No!" Beca closed her eyes, holding a hand up in a fist. "I had sand up my ass. I didn't exactly want to have sandy ass sex. Sounds like it hurts to be honest with you."

"That's your reason? Sand in your ass. Nothing else?"

"Well.. yeah?" Beca dropped her gaze. Aubrey really didn't need to know about the other reasons and she was sure that looking into those hard eyes for a moment longer could and would have cracked her.

The blonde hesitated, giving Beca a piercing gaze. "Okay. Look, I'm going to help you okay? Because you _desperately_ need it. I'm going to tell Chloe to ask you on another date. A real one, to dinner and a movie or something. Got it? No sand up your ass. Now I'm gonna need you to be honest with me here. Do you want to sleep with her?"

Beca's eyebrows knitted together. " _What_?!"

"If sand wasn't up your little alternative ass!" Aubrey yelled, losing her patience. "Would you have gone all the way?"

"Oh my God, woman do you know no boundaries?!"

"This is what we have been talking about this whole time you can't shut down on me now!"

"Fine! Yes! Yes, I would have."

"Okay! Was that so hard?!" The blonde settled down and stepped forward. "You two are going to go on a real date. And when you come home, there will be candles lit by me. Flower petals on the bed. Romantic music on the stereo. And you two are going to have sex."

Beca closed her eyes. She spoke softly, "Aubrey, what the _fuck_ -"

"You can say no! I'm not stopping you. You don't have to go all the way. But this is your chance to show her a good time. She might even let you be the top. And I'll be the one setting everything up so you'll know it'll be nothing less than perfect." She waited for Beca's refusal but instead was given a bitter nod. "Deal?" She held her hand out for Beca to shake.

Beca slowly nodded in defeat. The offer was too good to pass up. Aubrey, offering to turn her apartment into a love nest, free of charge? And to potentially go all the way with Chloe? Who wouldn't take the deal? "Deal." She sighed.

They shook hands but Aubrey's grip was tight and unforgiving. "You better get all the sand out of your ass by then, or so help me I will break your toner in half and feed it to the pregnant dog out there."

".. What the fuck, Aubrey?" Beca found herself whispering to no one, she assumed Aubrey was eager to pitch the idea to Chloe.

She was.

She slammed the door shut behind her. "Chloe!"

"You didn't!" Chloe buried her face in the nearest pillow she could find. "Aubrey! You can't just ask people that! You know Beca can't take things like that!"

"Whatever! I did it. It was unpleasant but it's over now." She joined the two on the bed again and whispered closely. "Now listen, I have an idea."

Chloe listened intently as Aubrey explained to her "elaborate" plan. When she was done, she leaned back against her many pillows to contemplate the idea.

"Does Beca know about this?" She asked quietly.

"No, she just thinks it's gonna be a normal date." Aubrey didn't even flinch at the lie.

"I can't do that if she doesn't know. What if she doesn't want to again."

"She'll want to. Listen! This is your chance to show her a good time. If she doesn't know, you can make the first move and be the top. I know how you love being the top."

Chloe rubbed her eyes in frustration. "I don't like this."

Stacie leaned in. "It's not like we're tricking her. She can say no, but it's not like she will."

"How can you be certain of that?"

"You don't need to be certain. If she says no, then that's it. But come on, if she does go through.. Look, I'm offering to sprinkle your home with flower petals, Chloe. You can't pass that up."

"I thought you were kidding about that."

"I wasn't."

Chloe let her gaze drop to her nervous hands. She counted the pros; Beca, flower petals, romance, dinner, possibly naked Beca. And the cons; possibly angry not naked Beca.

".. I don't know, guys."

"Oh my God. I'm literally offering to set up a romantic date for you. Plus, wouldn't it be awkward if you both knew? There would be too much pressure."

"Yeah but it feels.. dirty somehow. Like I'll have ulterior motives."

"Fine." Aubrey huffed in frustration. "I won't do the apartment of love decorations. But you two should still go out to dinner. A real date. Not your 'let's go on an adventure and get sand up our asses' date."

Chloe smiled. "That I can do." She hopped off the bed and left, leaving both Aubrey and Stacie alone.

"You're still going to do it aren't you?" Stacie asked, trying to get past the butterflies in her stomach.

"Of course I am. I wouldn't be Aubrey Posen if I wasn't." She gave the brunette an evil smirk. "Do you want to help me?"

Stacie didn't hesitate to nod back.

"Hey, Becs!" Chloe caught the brunette's hand and pulled her away from listening ears. "I think you should keep your pillow on my bed."

Beca grinned. "Just my pillow? Not me?"

"Nope, just your pillow. You're too bony." Chloe chuckled at Beca's offended gasp. "No, but seriously. Just change your sheets for Aubrey so she can sleep in your bed."

"I'm not changing my sheets for her. If she wants to change the sheets she can do that herself."

Chloe turned to yell into the hallway. "Aubrey I'm gonna need you to sleep in Beca's bed from now on okay?!"

"Does she have clean sheets somewhere?!"

"Yes!"

"Okay!"

"Thank you!" She turned back to Beca and grinned. "So my bed tonight?"

"Why do we always make it so complicated at first. Like, all you had to do was say that when she first came over and it would've been over with."

"The thought hadn't occurred to me. And last time I checked," She laid a finger on Beca's chest and let it linger there. "It didn't occur to your little DJ mind either so don't come into my house and try to fight me on this."

Beca held her hands up in surrender. "Alright, Red. Your bed tonight."

"Whoa!" came Amy's hollering. "What was that, kapitan?!"

"Shut up, Amy!" Beca spat out. "You heard nothing!"

"Hey," Chloe's soft voice tugged on her attention. She leaned in to whisper in Beca's ear. "I think it's time for them to leave, don't you?" She leaned back, resting her back against the wall as she tugged on Beca's fingers.

The brunette grinned at her before nodding in agreement. "Okay, folks! I gotta go to work tomorrow so you guys need to go home!"

The group replied with a harmonic "Boo."

"I'm sleeping over!" Shouted Amy from beside her. Beca flinched at the lack use of her inside voice.

"No." She pointed an authoritative finger at the blonde and frowned. "No one is sleeping over- Don't you have work?"

Amy grinned. "I called in sick when we were buying beer. It's called _planning_."

Beca rolled her eyes, mumbling something intelligible to herself in annoyance.

"If Amy is sleeping over then I am too!" yelled Jessica.

Ashley sat her bottle down and stood. "Well, where Jessica goes, I go."

Chloe's grin stretched to her ears. Her eyes lit up with excitement. She ignored Beca's silent "No's" and yelled at the top of her lungs. " _Slumber party_!"

* * *

"Now! To start off this slumber party the right way, we need the right game." Stacie narrowed her eyes at the girls, each bundled in their own blankets. "Truth or dare."

"That's it! I'm going to bed!" Beca hopped up from her seat inside the circle. Luke and Kelsey had long since left on their owns, afraid to intrude on the "Bellas bonding time" as Chloe described it to be.

"Beca, no!" They groaned in annoyance.

"I have to work tomorrow!"

"Well, I guess that means I'm out too. Goodnight guys." Chloe quickly got up to follow the tiny brunette who had disappeared into the hallway.

"Go, go to your lover." Stacie breathed out.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Goodnight!" She called back.

"You're gonna want to lock that." Beca whispered as Chloe entered.

"Oh, am I now?"

"No, not like that." Beca blushed, laying out the blanket on Chloe's bed. "They're gonna try to sneak in here. We're gonna find one of them in bed with us in the morning. Just watch."

"I don't think they're that crazy. And what if there's an emergency?"

The brunette shrugged. "Alright but you're gonna regret that."

They settled in beside each other, Beca with her eyes closed and Chloe softly stroking her hair.

The sudden cheers from the Bellas outside made Beca's eyes shoot open in annoyance.

"Let them be.." Chloe whispered as the yelling died down.

The brunette quirked a brow, "You would have _your lover_ suffer in exchange for their enjoyment?"

"They're just excited. And you're over exaggerating."

"You think I'm not suffering?"

Chloe hummed and shook her head jokingly. "Nope."

"Okay do you want to know why I am suffering? I'll tell you. I worked with a new artist today who, honestly I don't think I can make anything decent with. So, naturally, my boss has been on my ass. I stayed longer because we suddenly had something to work with near the end of our session but it was short lived. Got home, died because of the heat. Almost had a panic attack when we were telling them about us. And I still can't believe that happened the way it did. So, I climbed an emotional mountain today. I've been trying to console Luke as much as I can but I- I just can't. And to top it all off, you haven't kissed me in like.. an hour. So, I'm emotionally and physically suffering."

Chloe smiled sympathetically. "I can only help with one of those things."

"Really? Can I choose which one? Cause I really need to get my boss off my back."

"Beggars can't be choosers."

Beca frowned but quickly puckered her lips, ready for Chloe's kiss.

Chloe grinned. "I'll help with Luke."

"Nooo.." She whined. "Forget about him. He's not important. This!" She pointed at her lips. "This is important.. please just kiss me."

Chloe nodded. "Fine. But before I do, can I just say-"

"Nope." Beca pressed her lips onto Chloe's, listening to the redhead's long inhale. Much too soon for Chloe (judging by how close her hand was to Beca's pajama waistband) she pulled away, smacking her lips jokingly. "Now you can say it."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I was going to say that.. with the new artist, you have to give it time. Don't rush it and put too much pressure on yourself. Relax and it'll come naturally. And the result will be better for it."

Beca frowned. "I was hoping my kiss would leave you dumbstruck."

Chloe chuckled quietly. "It might have if you had put some tongue in it."

Beca grinned. But soon, it vanished at the sound of the doorknob turning.

The two froze as quiet footsteps entered the room.

"Are you guys banging yet?" came someone's drunken whisper. "I wanna see."

"Shh!" hissed another voice.

They stayed unmoving. Beca could feel the heat flare in her face, whether it was from embarrassment or rage, she wasn't sure. Most likely, both. Soon the intruders made their way out of the room and they were left alone again.

Chloe quickly sat up, to gawk at the door. "You're kidding me. They did not just do that."

"I told you to lock it, didn't I?"

 


	31. "Good Morning"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT GUYS 500 KUDOS <3 what. how did this happen?? im screaming!! anyways im sorry for taking so long

Chloe pranced into the apartment sporting a bright smile and outstretched hands that craved something to wrap around. She dropped her things from her shoulder and floated into her room to find Beca splayed across the mattress, lazily keying her laptop with her head propped on an elbow.

"Becs!" She hopped up to join her and decided to sit on Beca's backside, placing her palms flat on Beca's back and pushing the brunette deeper into the mattress playfully. "Hi."

The brunette grunted lazily and kept her withering attention on the screen in front of her. "Heyy.. How was it?"

By 'it', Beca was referring to orientation at the elementary Chloe would soon be teaching at. She had left extra early in the morning to grab some kind of organic shake that was way too green in her opinion, before heading to the event held at the elementary.

The very question made Chloe's smile widen.

She had spent the last few hours running through the computer system with other new teachers.

There was one woman in particular she felt especially comfortable with considering her open and welcoming nature. They both felt like long lost best friends, gushing about how excited they were to meet their students and start their new careers.

She stood two or three inches taller than the redhead, though that was probably due to her thick head of hair sprouting tight curls that sprung in almost every direction. Her eyes were a humbling shade of pale green framed by impossibly long lashes and her dimples stunned every time she so much as smirked. Add that on top of her rich brown skin that practically shimmered in the sunlight and Chloe would be lying if she said the sight of her alone didn't leave her feeling blessed.

After getting familiar with the operating systems, setting up their teacher email and login information, they were thoroughly lectured on everything from professionalism and policies to the budget situation.

The next day they would be given their curriculum plan and a chance to modify it to their liking and after that all that would be left was classroom management.

She had to admit it was a lot to take in for the first day but soon she would meet the other teachers,the ones with experience and wisdom to share, and get a feel for who she could go to in times of need and who to avoid. Now that, _that_ she was excited for.

"It was great! They were so nice and welcoming and-" She bent down to wrap her arms around Beca's torso, "I made a friend." She breathed out, burying her face in Beca's shoulder blade.

"Oh really?"

"Yep! She's so sweet!" Chloe dropped herself beside the brunette as she heard the laptop clap shut.

"Sweet?" Beca turned to face her finally. "Sweeter than... me?"

"One hundred and ten percent sweeter than you."

Beca gawked, feigning offense. Soon, the thought of Chloe finding someone to keep her company at this new and previously intimidating environment made a small smile form on her lips. She leaned forward to softly kiss her. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Thanks, beb." She hopped up and rushed into the bathroom. "Gotta pee!"

Beca sat up just in time to spot Aubrey sneak in. The blonde gave her a stern look but when Beca shrugged in confusion, she lunged forward as if to attack her. Beca flinched violently, making Aubrey even more frustrated with her.

"Stop!" Aubrey hissed, squeezing her shoulders tightly. "Listen! We got the stuff. It happens tonight. Are you ready?"

"What? What stuff? What's happening tonight?!" Beca whispered with a hint of terror.

"You're getting laid-"

"You're fucking crazy, Aubrey!"

"You two are doing it tonight! Invite her out!"

"I can't believe this is happening, why did I agree to this?! Honestly, don't you have better things to do?! You know like, planning for your child's arrival into the world-"

"Beca!"

"What?!"

"Tonight!"

"I- I'm not ready! I got a wax and I'm still healing! The skin is irritated and sensitive!"

"Sensitive is good!"

"Not in this case!" Beca growled deeply, almost making herself choke in the process.

They heard the toilet flush, causing Beca to cautiously glance at the bathroom door. Aubrey was already back in the doorway when she turned back.

"Tonight!" Aubrey aggressively mouthed one last time before disappearing from view.

Her heart was pounding in her chest.

Soon the bathroom door swung open and Chloe returned to the bed literally beaming with happiness.

"Hey-" Beca was already blushing. "Do you wanna go out, maybe? To celebrate! I mean, if you want."

Chloe's eyes lit up with excitement. "What do you have in mind?" She cooed.

If Beca was good at anything, it was being put on the spot. She's reliable even if she thinks she isn't. Sure, the pressure tended to get to her but in the end, the result was always more than satisfactory.

She really didn't know how she came up with the idea but she did. And boy, was she proud of herself.

Apparently this specific aquarium that was barely thirty minutes from where they lived was one of the world's biggest, and they didn't even know of the fact until their little struggle with directions.

Hundreds of different species called this place their home; from sharks to turtles and seahorses to penguins. Each just as worthy of their time as the next.

They found the jellyfish soothing to watch, especially in the dark room with mellow music. The way they just floated everywhere but absolutely no where was somewhat hypnotizing to watch. Beca wasn't sure if she pitied them or admired them; to live without a thought seemed interesting. No brain means no stress, no bills, to just.. _float,_ all day, every day. Though, that also meant no happiness, no purpose, no love. Yeah, she definitely pitied them in the end. Still, their bright colors under the tank light was mesmerizing at the least.

Chloe loved the sea turtles, their pastel yellow and brown color was "super cute" as she had described. Beca was more interested in how absolutely furious the big guy looked, maybe it was the fury in its eyes or the permanent frown. She joked about it, prompting a quiet giggle from the redhead. She wasn't even sure what she had said but she couldn't find it in herself to care, Chloe was smiling and that was all that mattered.

Some time later they came across a Giant Pacific Octopus that they spent way too long admiring. Both girls gaped at the reddish brown giant that moved about the tank effortlessly. They watched the animal in glee, fully taking into consideration that before them was one of the smartest animals in the world, and one of the squishiest. How octopuses manage to be both was just one of the world's many mysteries.

"Octopuses are so cool." The brunette muttered.

"Yeah.."

Beca's grip was firm on Chloe's hand as they finally decided to leave the cephalopod in search of more interesting animals. They turned into a hallway, to their right was a tall glass wall, a window into the underwater habitat bustling with fish of every color of the rainbow. Beca pried her eyes away from a hammerhead shark that was approaching them to watch Chloe in admiration.

The redhead placed a soft hand on the cool glass and grinned when the shark met her gaze with glazed eyes. They smiled at each other as the fish floated away before proceeding further into the hallway that turned into a tunnel.

Their eyes watched the fish above them with excitement. The tank wrapping around them painted the air between them a calming and majestic blue. There was a faint hum in the room, accompanied by muffled footsteps on the carpeted floor and children passionately sputtering about every new fish they saw to their parents.

Chloe took the lead, pulling Beca to a random spot the vinyl cushioned bench that bordered the tank. They sat in silence for a while, watching the fish roam the water without a care in the world, listening to the hum of the air conditioning and faint voices that seemed to drift further and further away.

Chloe soon found herself watching Beca's excited eyes brighten at the sight of every new species. She was lost in the way the lights rippled unpredictably on her skin, absorbed in the way Beca slightly leaned forward in her seat like she wanted to be closer to the glass, like she wanted to be in there with them, to be surrounded by the rainbow of colors.

The children excitedly pulling their parents along were practically nonexistent. All Chloe saw was Beca. This blue eyed, brown haired dork that she had always loved. That she spent so much time and effort hiding from for nothing. No matter how much she felt content in that moment, there was still a rooted feeling of regret in the back of her mind. Regret for all the wasted time, all of the lingering glances that led to _nothing_ , all of the gentle touches that were secretly filled with so much desperation and suggestion that they both had to lie to themselves, saying it all meant _nothing_. All the times that something could've happened. All the times she could have been brave enough.

But that wasn't something she should have been mourning over. No regrets, right? All the regret in the world could never change the past.

_Drop it, Chloe._

She rested her head against the glass and averted her gaze to the fish again, afraid staring too long would either make her seem creepy or make her want to do something rash, like very passionately push her into the nearest wall and kiss her. Only one of those were true.

She sighed in content and felt Beca's grip tighten on her hand. Still the brunette kept her eyes to the glass and everything beyond, even after feeling Chloe's eyes on her again. She smirked, too afraid to meet Chloe's electric gaze and knowing its power over her all too well.

"Hey." Chloe whispered after turning in her seat and folding her ankle under her opposite leg to face her.

Beca slowly turned to her, trying hard to suppress her grin. "Yeah?"

Their eyes locked and Beca knew she was screwed. Looking into Chloe's eyes is like some kind of elaborate trap that you actually want to be caught in. It's like the colors, they way they move so quickly from her lips, to her hair, to her eyes, is hypnotizing. How it's like she can't decide what to _look_ at. And just to have them on you was a blessing in itself.

Beca felt her heart beat quicken in her chest as Chloe leaned close to her face, just inches away. Beca would have thought she was going to kiss her if she didn't see Chloe's eyes glance over her shoulder.

"Look." She breathed out, pointing behind Beca.

Beca slowly turned and stared in awe at the creature Chloe had pointed out swimming towards them.

The giant approached slowly drifting through the water, calmly waving its tail just barely to push itself closer to them. So close they could see the texture of its roughly dotted skin. They admired the spots and ridges of the giant as it floated past them like a plane in the sky and continued past Chloe's shoulders effortlessly.

Chloe watched the whale shark until she couldn't turn any further and when she finally turned back, she found Beca watching her with a small smile on her lips. She breathed out a nervous chuckle and blushed under Beca's dark eyes. The shy gesture made Beca's smile spread to her eyes.

Beca spoke soft and quietly. "Can I tell you something?"

Chloe nodded with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She glanced up at her as Beca leaned closer.

"You're beautiful."

Chloe would be lying if she said her heart didn't skip a beat. Maybe it's because she had rarely ever heard Beca use the word "beautiful' sarcastically or without the intent of describing a dessert. Maybe it's because of the way her smile was full and genuine. Maybe it was the way she was looking at her, full of happiness and bliss directed at her and _only her_.

Chloe let out a quiet chuckle, trying to keep herself from shooting to the moon, before licking her lips. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Me?" Beca quirked a brow, gesturing to herself as she laughed off the compliment. "No, no, no.. Yo-you, Chloe, you're beautiful. And me?" She dropped her smile feeling the need to stop joking for two seconds as she watched Chloe melt at the sound of her words. "Me, I'm _smitten_."

Chloe blinked, feeling the need to be outside surrounded by fresh air that wasn't so immensely stuffy and tense, feeling chills spreading on her arms, making the hairs stand. She felt her heart skip another beat (at this rate she might as well be having a heart attack). Not to mention the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach like some kind of sweet and addicting aftershock. "Beca Mitchell, did you really just use the word smitten in a not sarcastic way?"

"Maybe."

Chloe's chest rose as Beca's eyes bore into hers.

"Wow, I didn't think you could get so corny." She muttered, it seemed harder for her to speak clearly. "You're kind of smooth?"

Beca chuckled lightly, a deep blush warming her cheeks. "What are you talking about? I'm always smooth."

"Is that what you call it?" Chloe bit her bottom lip, watching Beca nod. "You're delusional." She placed a soft kiss on the corner of Beca's lips but didn't stay long enough for Beca to contribute.

* * *

Their hands were practically glued together as they strolled through the park across the street from the aquarium. They swung them high just for laughs but slowly came to a stop when they approached the Fountain of Rings. The sun was setting, giving the sky a sherbet hue and the lights fixed beneath the ground colored the water off white as it shot out of the holes in the floor.

They glanced around, the only other people there were an elderly couple quite a distance away, a woman walking her dog and a small group of teenagers lying in the grass minding their own business.

Chloe grinned at the brunette beside her, effectively catching her attention, as she slowly slipped out of her flats.

"No, Chloe.." Beca whined.

"Yes, Chloe." The redhead responded.

Beca shook her head and placed her hands on her hips with a sense of finality. "No.. no!"

Chloe just smiled and backtracked into the open space, keeping her eyes on Beca as she reached the middle of the center ring. She gestured for Beca to join her with a teasing smirk and a piercing gaze, before turning around to feel the water as it shot out of the floor again.

"Fuck that, I'm not going in there." The brunette muttered to herself, only tearing her gaze from Chloe to check for any witnesses. "Ah, shit."

Beca sighed in defeat before kicking off her shoes and pulling off her socks. She stuffed her socks in her shoes and placed them neatly beside Chloe's sloppily discarded flats.

She stared at the back of Chloe's head as she waited for the jets to finally stop so she could join the redhead without getting too wet.

Soon the water receded back into the holes in the floor, depriving Chloe of a distraction as she heard Beca's footsteps on the wet ground.

She slowly turned around to face her. "You know what we should do?"

Beca stayed on the far end of the ring and kept her eyes on Chloe, only faltering once when the fountain started up again. "What?"

"We should dance."

Chloe pretended not to be offended by Beca's scoff at her glorious idea.

"That's not happening."

Beca was surprised she had the will to say that so matter-of-factly. Maybe she was lying to herself. Maybe she was good at it. After all, this is Chloe. She would do anything for Chloe, and she wasn't even ashamed of it. Chloe _had_ her, she always did. And she's pretty sure she _had_ Chloe. So what's one corny dance in the middle a beautiful park while the sun melted into the horizon?

She could do this for Chloe.

But she didn't have to admit it.

Her gaze dropped to the water slick floor and soon Chloe's red polished toes came into view.

"I think we should dance, Beca." Chloe pursed her lips, pulling Beca's body against her own and wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck. Soon after just a moment's hesitation, she felt the familiar arms snake around her waist.

"I can't believe this." Beca mumbled grumpily.

" _I feel a little rush_ ," Chloe sang softly, " _I think I've got a little crush on you. I hope it's not too much, but girl when I'm with you, I hear it, my hearts singing_.."

Beca chuckled softy. "Okay stop."

"Stop?" Chloe furrowed her brows. "Stop my beautiful singing?"

"Mhm. Stop. Shut up." She nodded, slowly bringing her lips to meet Chloe's in a long and gentle kiss and tightening her arms around the redhead's waist to keep her close. She pulled away and licked her lips before quietly whispering in Chloe's ear. "You know, a lot of kids probably play in this fountain."

"Of course."

"How many children do you think peed here on this floor that we are both standing barefoot on?"

"Goddamn it, Beca."

* * *

Beca would have forgotten about Aubrey's little plan if it wasn't for the text she got from the blonde, telling her to hurry up before the candles she lit burns their entire apartment complex down. They were already on their way back when she got the message so she replied saying so.

Beca pretended not to see Aubrey and Stacie hiding behind the corner of the hallway as Chloe unlocked the door and proceeded in. The two gave Beca a total of four thumbs up to which Beca replied with one lazy middle finger. She almost bumped into Chloe who stood gawking at the apartment when she finally floated in after her.

Rose petals of pink, red and sunset orange littered the floor and candles stood in groups of three scattered on the kitchen counter and coffee table. It reminded Beca of her stupidly annoying dream but she had to admit the girls did pretty good.

_Not bad at all._

Though, she would have to murder them if they used up the last of the air freshener; they were rationing it. It certainly smelled like they used up the whole can, what with the air pungent with vanilla and white peach. She was wondering how the apartment didn't burst into flames considering how flammable air freshener is when Chloe turned to her with a slight blush on her cheeks, hair flipping over her shoulders and everything.

"Why don't you look surprised?" Chloe asked accusingly, effectively snapping her out of her daze. "Oh my god, did you know about this?"

Beca froze. She wasn't sure if Chloe was mad or just shocked. Maybe she wasn't okay with this. Maybe she was offended that Beca thought Chloe would be okay with this.

 _It would be pretty cool to be a turtle right about now, to just.._ _ **hide**_.

She knew she was at fault, she shouldn't have gone behind her back. _Stupid, stupid, Beca. Communication is key! That's what everyone says, all the time._ How could she not take that into consideration?

Honesty is the best policy. Right?

Right?!

She blinked, swallowed hard and spoke. ".. Yeah? I mean, Aubrey offered to- and I thought- We could, we-.." She scratched her brow with her thumb nervously. "Look, I know I should have told you, and I'm sorry I didn't. I just wanted it to be a surprise. And now that we're here I can totally see how it's.." She frowned. "problematic? And wrong. Very-"

"What? I.. No, I _did_ know about this.."

Beca's brows knitted together. "What?"

Chloe hesitated. "Well, I mean, I knew but I didn't think she was actually going to do it. I- I told her not to! She said she wasn't going to do it! I can't believe she lied to me!"

"Oh.." Beca frowned in disappointment she couldn't hide. So, Chloe for sure did not want to do this? So, she really was wrong about this whole thing? "So, should we just clean it all up then?"

There was a long beat before Chloe's reply finally came in a suggestive tone.

"I don't know, I kind of just want to.. take a load off for now." A slow smirk appeared on Chloe's face. "Do _you_ want to clean it up?"

Beca hesitated with newfound interest. A glimmer of hope? A hint of excitement flickering somewhere deep down in the pit of her chest and everywhere else.

"Honestly," the brunette glanced at their surroundings, "not at all."

Chloe let out a bark of laughter, resting her hands on her hips. "Oh man, we really need to work on our communication, beb."

"I know. God, I know. We'll start now." Beca took an exaggerated step closer and licked her lips, "Tell me to stop."

"Never." Chloe breathed out.

They locked gazes, blinked once, and were on each other before either could take another breath. Beca felt her stomach flip and the sensation of Chloe's tongue against hers as they stumbled to the nearest wall, tugging at each other's clothes. They tripped on each other but managed to make it to the wall without falling to their deaths. Beca managed to wedge her leg between Chloe's thighs before the redhead muttered a quiet "Wait."

"What? Wait?" She watched her in confusion.

The redhead licked her lips. "We should put out the candles just in case."

Beca's gaze shot to the candles she so suddenly hated. She ripped herself away from the redhead and darted to the kitchen counter, practically spitting at the wax candles in a desperate attempt to put them out as hastily as possible. She did the same to the candles on the coffee table across the room before returning to Chloe who waited against the wall giggling at Beca's frantic state.

"Fuck candles." Beca breathed out before her lips crashed into Chloe's again. They only pulled apart to breathe and even then, it was short and rushed. They stumbled into the hallway together, blindly feeling between each other and the walls that led to their bedroom. Between stepping on rose petals and each other's toes, they managed to kick their shoes off and not trip over them which was a miracle in itself.

Chloe's back crashed into their bedroom door and she whimpered in pain as the doorknob dug deep into her waist. She tore her hands away from Beca's neck and face to turn it open and they wobbled in, tripping on nothing but each other. Somehow by the power of will, they managed to make it to the bed, toppling over onto the rose petal sprinkled mattress.

Beca stopped to look at the room. Between the rose petals and the occasional candle, there was an ipod docked on Chloe's speakers faintly playing some terribly cliche love song that made her want to chuck it out the window.

She looked down at Chloe underneath her with rose petals in her fiery red hair splayed like a silhouette. All that was missing was a halo, she thought. Her cheeks as pink as they were warm, Beca could practically feel the heat radiating off her.

Chloe smiled up at her before teasing the brunette, slowly trailing her tongue across her bottom lip.

Beca watched it slowly curl at the corner of her lips before receding behind Chloe's sharp teeth.

Their gazes met and Chloe took a deep breath, trying to reach up to Beca with her lips to tell her that she's done staring- done waiting.

When Beca didn't meet her lips with her own, slightly pulling away just out of reach, she rested her head and waited, letting Beca take her in.

It's not that Beca wanted to stop, it's just that she couldn't continue yet. She couldn't stop staring. Because it's not an exaggeration when she finally realized Chloe is the most beautiful woman she had ever laid her eyes on. Sure, she had always found her attractive, who wouldn't? But now, with Chloe's lips red from the pressure of her own- now, with Chloe's eyes dark with lust staring into her own, she couldn't help but feel like she needed take a moment to just gather up all of her energy and dedicate it to storing this mental photograph for as long as she lives.

Beca finally teared her eyes away from Chloe's a moment later after realizing she had been staring far too long. "I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to turn that shit off." She jutted her chin to the stereo.

"Okay." the redhead chuckled quietly as she caught her breath. She had never felt more vulnerable in her life.

Beca pushed herself off the other woman and yanked the ipod off its dock before tossing it aside.

It was utterly quiet now, save for the sound of their heartbeats thrumming in their eardrums, muffling the sound of their nervous breathing.

She turned to find Chloe had sat up from her position, waiting patiently for Beca to return to her while she fixed her hair in attempt to look presentable, or.. _desirable_. For Beca.

Beca rejoined her on the mattress with a sudden sense of urgency, sitting on her folded legs so they could face each other. She reached up to lay a rebellious strand of Chloe's hair down and grinned.

"They really did all this." Beca twirling her index finger at the ceiling.

The redhead nodded, lips caught between her teeth. "They really love us."

Chloe sighed in content, before slowly cupping Beca's face gently with both hands and firmly kissing her. She pulled back and pursed her lips as her hand trailed down to the hem of Beca's shirt. They both quietly watched the hand tug at the fabric, soon it disappeared under the blouse and both of Chloe's hands were feeling Beca's soft skin underneath. Softly trailing her fingers up to the brunette's ribs.

Beca's breath was short as she pulled her shirt off- well, _pulled on her shirt_. Her arms were held high in the air as the collar of her blouse caught on her earring and threatened to rip one out.

"Ouch!" She squeaked and wriggled amusingly. "My earrings!"

Chloe giggled with admiration glistening in her eyes. "Okay, wait, stop moving." She carefully unhooked Beca's earrings and helped the brunette fully remove the shirt. "Those darned ear monstrosities."

They laughed full heartedly but soon quieted down, somewhat afraid to look each other in the eyes again.

Beca felt her hands shaking but this was no time to be a coward, especially now that she's sitting there in her bra, ready to take this step with Chloe. She was done with that part of her, the part that was always too scared to get what she wants. The part that gave her a reason to stay with Jesse for so long, to pretend she never looked at Chloe the way she was looking at her now; full of love and hope.

She reached out and her hands landed on their target. One of five buttons she desperately needed to undo. She wasn't sure if she could even stop shaking let alone undo tiny, almost microscopic _fucking_ buttons. But still, she swallowed her fears and continued, carefully sliding each button through its corresponding slit as she felt Chloe's warm eyes on her.

She didn't dare look up, not yet.

She was on the third button when Chloe's hand caught hers to steady them. "Hey, Beca?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm-.. It's okay," Chloe stared at her, unsure of what words she could offer to calm Beca's nerves. "It's just me." She whispered closely.

Beca watched Chloe's electric eyes fill with sympathy. "Exactly why I'm nervous."

Chloe smirked back. "Well, if it's any consolation.. I'm freaking out too."

"Oh great, we can freak out together."

"It's always better to be scared with someone, right?"

Beca nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

"So," she winked as she finished undoing the buttons of her shirt for Beca, "Let's get our freak on, shall we?"

Beca would have gotten up and left her alone half naked on the bed for that line alone, if not for the whole, you know, half naked part.

It wasn't as either of them had expected it to be. No, they couldn't tell their friends about their night of endless passion because well, it wasn't that at all. They didn't move against each other like the sea to the sand, no, much more like old gears that just haven't been used in a while. Rusty, and difficult. Full of accidental scratching, hair snared by hesitant, clumsy fingers and far too much trouble trying to figure out where to tease and where to squeeze. They knew what to do, it's just that they couldn't. Whether the heavy breathing was from the act itself or because every so often they would get a knee to the thigh or an elbow to rib, neither knew. Probably both.

Despite the complications, it was simple. Awkward but sweet. Rushed but cherished.

And although rushed, it lasted a lot longer than either had expected it to be. They didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. No, it probably was a bad thing that they lasted so long. Their minds wandered, and useless and worrying thoughts flooded their heads, pushing out every ounce of passion they had within them. Focusing on trying to find reasons why they weren't going into cardiac arrest what with how utterly powerful their hearts were pounding in their chests.

Beca pushed herself up against the wall and pulled the sheets over her chest as Chloe settled in beside her after she finished. The air felt thicker, probably from all the heavy breathing, but with a hint of confusion and even disappointment.

_Disappointment?_

_Is that the right word?_

They both asked themselves in unspoken silence. They stared blankly at whatever they could in the room; the stupid stereo, the dying rose petals, literally anything but each other.

_No, not disappointment. Literally any word but that one would work._

Neither wanted to admit it but deep down they knew.

It was bad.

Sex with Beca was _bad_.

Sex with Chloe was _bad_.

Sex with each other was.. you guessed it, _bad_.

 _No, that can't be it._ They told themselves in desperate hopefulness. _Maybe it'll get better? Maybe it was just the nerves? Yeah, that's probably it. We were just nervous. Too nervous. We need to relax. We need a drink. Yeah, that sounds great. A drink._

"Hey, do you want a drink?" Beca blurted a little too loudly, somewhat desperate to get some much needed space between them.

Chloe blinked, lightly massaging the nape of her neck in silence. "Um- Sure." She smiled sweetly.

The brunette turned, letting her legs hang off the bed as she still clutched the sheets to her body. She wasn't quite confident after her performance, so she quickly slipped on her panties and the first shirt her eyes landed on which happened to be Chloe's button up flannel.

She returned a moment later with a single glass of water and handed it to Chloe as she climbed in beside her again.

"Thank you."

"I can't believe we just had sex because Aubrey told us to." Beca mumbled as she watched Chloe take her sip.

Chloe flinched.

"We didn't have sex because Bree _told us to_." Chloe frowned. "We just had sex 'cause we wanted to.. Right?"

Beca's eyes widened ever so slightly. "What? Yes- I, of course. Chloe, you know what I meant." she leaned closer and slowly laced their fingers together before bringing Chloe's hand up to her lips to kiss gently. "We're good, right?"

Chloe finally looked into Beca's eyes before smiling softly. She didn't feel herself nodding as she brought Beca's lips to hers. "We're good, beb."

That night despite their not so perfect end to an otherwise perfect day, they both dreamt of nothing but sweet and fuzzy feelings. They clung to each other, occasionally taking turns being the big spoon in their sleep. Periodically and instinctively finding each other's hand to hold in their slumber. Keeping their legs intertwined with each other to stay close.

Surprisingly enough, Beca was the first to wake the next morning. She gently opened her eyes to see nothing but fiery red hair under her chin. Soon she felt Chloe's slow and light breathing on her chest that tickled the little hairs, the arm that snaked across her chest and under her arm, and the fingers that rested on her shoulder. She felt the legs woven with hers underneath the soft microplush blanket. She felt the morning sun warming her arm that was loosely wrapped around the woman beside her.

She stayed there for a while, even though the arm Chloe was lying on was starting to get painfully numb, but still she didn't dare to move, not an inch. She lied there, just holding her close and twirling the red hair, letting herself sink in the beautifully wonderful feelings called _love_. She heard nothing but Chloe's breathing and birds singing their love songs just outside their window. She felt nothing but Chloe against her. She saw nothing but the light freckles on the redhead's arm that held her gently- nothing but red hair that rested on her shoulder. Even when sleeping, Chloe demanded every inch of her attention.

She didn't know how much time had passed when Chloe had finally woken up. She stirred against her, nestling her face in Beca's neck as she breathed in deeply and stretched her sleepy limbs.

Beca couldn't help smiling as Chloe slowly lifted her head to glance around the room before turning to squint at her.

"Good morning." Beca said softly, eyes glimmering with sleepiness. Chloe met her gaze, shining bright under the morning sun and hesitated as thoughts of the night before flooded all of her senses.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against Beca again, only wanting to hold the brunette closer if that was even possible. "Good morning," she mumbled. "How long have you been awake?"

"I don't know." Beca admitted quietly. "Are you hungry?"

"I am, but, " Chloe rubbed her smooth legs against Beca's. "Can we just lie here for a little?"

".. Of course."

* * *

Aubrey practically kicked the door in when she finally returned. Beca had already left for work, this she knew, so she didn't hesitate to ask, "So, how was it?!"

The question echoed in Chloe's head as she stared blankly at the nail polish half chipped on her thumbnail. It was only half chipped because she clipped it after painting it. And she only clipped it because, well, she _is_ with a woman now. She made a mental note to remember to clip her nails, and file, before painting them from now on. The things she does for Beca..

"Where did you stay last night?"

"Unimportant, answer the question."

"Umm.." She squinted. "It was-you know, it, I wasn't feeling- um, you know you can't just expect everything to be perfect the first-"

"It was bad wasn't it?" Aubrey frowned, joining her on the couch.

"It was pretty bad." Chloe admitted. "But I was pretty bad too, it wasn't just her. We were both bad to be honest."

Aubrey laughed wholeheartedly. "That's hilarious. Years and years of sexual tension and when it came down to it, the nerves were so overwhelming that you both couldn't perform? How beautifully ironic."

"Hey, that's not fair, you can't expect your first time with a _super_ close friend that you've been in love with for years to be a night of endless passion filled with… orgasms left and right."

Aubrey sipped her honey peach smoothie with a smug smirk. "You totally thought it was going to be an endless night of passion with orgasms left and right didn't you?"

Chloe huffed. "You can't blame me for wanting something to be perfect, Aubrey! You of all people should know that."

"I do know that! I'm just saying, it's your first time together. So just, you know, keep going at it. Practice makes perfect." the blonde winked.

"Yeah, if she ever even wants to do that with me again."

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"Maybe." Chloe shrugged. "Okay gotta run, second day of orientation!" She hopped up from her seat beside Aubrey on the couch and waved goodbye as she gathered her things.

"Have fun!"

* * *

"It was.. okayy.." Beca rested an elbow on the table between them as she watched Amy take a bite from her sandwich. "Wait, how do you even know we had sex?"

"Stacie told me."

"Oh.. of course she did." Beca quickly snatched a chunk of chicken that had fallen off the blonde's sandwich into its wrapper. She popped it into her mouth before a red faced Amy could stop her.

"Beca, do you want to fight me or something? Because I asked if you wanted anything and you said no."

"I said yes but you said you weren't offering to pay! Why would you ask that and not pay for me?"

"I only have a dollar and like forty eight cents left-"

"I only have my debit with me and the card reader is broken-"

"Well, you're shit out of luck, my friend."

"Why do you think I'm scavenging?!" Beca huffed. "I didn't even want to come to this sandwich shop, I swear that card reader has been broken for like three years now."

"They make great sandwiches, Beca." She replied without blinking before taking on other bite. "So, what do you mean it was 'okay'? Was it insufficient?"

Beca rolled her eyes dramatically. "No, it-.. it wasn't what I had expected. That's it."

"That's it?"

"You know what, I'm gonna go-"

"What? Noo-" The blonde dropped her sandwich into its wrapper, making the sub fall apart. "I won't ask about it! Look, you can go halfsies with me!"

Beca frowned and waved her off. "No, it's not that, I just wanna go home and relax the sooner I make something worth showing to my boss, the sooner I can leave. I'll talk to you later." She gathered up her things and quickly said her farewells.

After another dreadful five hours of work, she finally decided to head out and mindlessly make her way home.

She dragged her feet in and found Chloe tapping away at her laptop on their bed.

Their bed.

Their _shared_ bed.

Their bed with their own pillows and their own sides. Beca had chosen her side long ago but now it was her side as Chloe's girlfriend.

 _Girlfriend_.

She needed to stop thinking about all the cute little things couples do that she could now do with Chloe. She was giving herself butterflies- butterflies that felt like they glowed as they fluttered, especially after she realized her advances were no longer restrained.

They could make out whenever they want, wherever they want. They could flirt without the oh so familiar hesitation that chained them down and forced thoughts into their heads like _What if she doesn't see me that way? What if she doesn't want this?_

No, no more doubts.

No more lying.

No more hiding.

Her crash landing on the bed was sloppy but comfortable. Not caring about whatever Chloe was watching on youtube.

"How was day two?!"

"Hey! I was watching how to make a DIY hair wrap!" Chloe giggled as Beca pulled the macbook away and clapped it shut.

"How was day two?" She asked again, this time much closer.

"The same as day one, really. Nothing new yet."

"That's good! That's good.."

She rolled onto the redhead and wrapped her arms around her waist before squeezing tightly. Chloe's ribcage flexed in protest to the tickles that came from Beca's nuzzling.

Beca took a slow and deep breath before lifting her head. "I've missed you."

Chloe felt her lips curl up instinctively. "I've missed you too."

It almost felt like they could stare at each other forever if not for Beca's stomach screaming at her to eat something. It was loud, and long lasting, making the redhead chuckle.

"When did you last eat, beb?"

"Breakfast."

Chloe gasped. "Beca.."

"It wasn't my fault, the card reader was broken."

"You could've went somewhere else? Or called me, I could've brought you something."

Beca hesitated. She stared into the redhead's sincere eyes before smirking. "You would bring me lunch?"

"Of course!"

"Oh.." She dropped her eyes. "Well too late now."

"Come on," Chloe sighed dramatically. "I'll make you something."

"Thank youu.." Beca chuckled as Chloe rolled her off. "You're the best."

Chloe rolled her eyes before leaving to the kitchen.

She stayed lying there, in _their_ bed, wondering if she wanted to stay there and wait for Chloe to return to her or find the redhead and offer her 'help'. Soon she heard the melodious voice softly floating from the kitchen. Helping Chloe seemed like a much better idea now.

She quietly dropped to her knees, deciding she wanted to sneak up on her. So, with the dedication of a hungry lioness, she crawled; quiet and hidden behind the breakfast bar that Chloe was currently placing a cutting board on.

She turned the corner and pounced as soon as the redhead's back was turned, wrapping her arms around her again.

"Boo!"

Chloe giggled as she peeled a banana. "I totally heard your bony knees on the floor."

"Oh my god-"

They heard a ring, Beca's phone. She reached into her back pocket and picked up without looking at the caller id; a bad habit she should really end.

"Hello?" She chirped, keeping her chin on Chloe's shoulder and her thumb stroking her tummy.

" _Beca, hon?"_

".. Mom?"

Chloe couldn't help frowning when Beca released her grip on her.

" _Yes, you know the woman who birthed you, granted you life and raised you. Who you can't be bothered to call since your music producer life is oh so busy-"_

"Mom.." Beca grinned. "I'm sorry I haven't called, I've just, well yeah you said it, I've been a little busy.. How are you?"

" _I've been great! There's um, a reason I called you!"_

"Oh yeah?" Beca raised her eyebrows in curiosity as she watched Chloe finish up her peanut butter jelly and banana sandwich. "And what is that reason, mom?"

The hesitation on the line gave Beca a chance to peck Chloe on the cheek as a silent thank you.

" _I'm inviting you to dinner!"_ her mother said gleefully. _"Well, I'm inviting you over for a visit. For the weekend! Visit your mother, Beca! I miss my only child and.. well there's- there's also someone I'd like you to meet."_

Beca rolled her eyes. "Not another friend from your soap opera club."

" _Do not insult my soap opera club friends, Beca!"_

"I wasn't!" the brunette laughed before taking a bite. "Well come on, who is it then?"

" _Rebecca Mitchell, you better not talking with your mouth full."_

"Mom.."

More hesitation.

" _His name is Cal. I've been seeing him for some time and I want you to meet him."_

Beca froze, looking to Chloe who was leaning against the counter with her arms folded across her chest and her eyebrows quirked in curiosity.

' _Been seeing him'?_

' _Meet him'?_

" _ **Oh**_ _.."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways im sorry idk how to write smut.. apparently im a prude  
> Yuna - Crush ft. Usher


	32. "Must be the Air"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe meets Beca's mom. and Beca meets her mom's new boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *me hitting this fic with a baseball bat*: WAKE UP BITCH!!!!!!!
> 
> I'm ALIVE!!!! (barely) I MISSED YOU GUYS!! whats up??? how's life???? im gooood.. been busy obviously for like what? 2 years? anyways i still love u guys.. for commenting and making sure i was ok. Anywhooo here's the new chapter (FINALLY) it's a fluffy one.

[THE LINK TO THE TUMBLR POST](http://i-am-a-crepe.tumblr.com/post/164850266888/inspired-by-my-favorite-fanfics-a-few-from-too)

 

 

Chloe's smile.

Chloe's fucking smile.

It could make Beca do anything. _Anything_ , just to see that smile- just to know that Chloe is _happy_. 

So, Beca- brave, brave Beca with a bottle of wine gripped tightly in her sweaty hand, swallowed her nerves like a bitter pill and stepped onto the porch of her childhood home towards her smiling girlfriend who waited patiently for her. Her beautiful girlfriend who hadn't stopped smiling since that damned phone call weeks ago.

Her gaze dropped to her heavy feet, it was almost like they didn't want to move, weighed down with bricks made of nerves and anxiety, the ol’ ball and chain, but Beca knew this was inevitable.

Of course her mother has a boyfriend, this is completely normal. She couldn't have lived her entire life… _alone_ . And Beca would hate for her to. The thought alone made Beca quite angry. Her mother is a fabulous person and all this happening now- well, it's just a matter of time. In fact, she was surprised it didn't happen sooner, when her mother was in her prime, fresh from the divorce. Maybe she just needed a little more time than others. Yeah, that's probably it. She knew her mother was a sweet and beautiful woman, she could have anyone she wanted, but it's not lost on her that the divorce-no, the **marriage** took a lot out of her.

 Chloe's smile dropped at the sight of Beca's rigid posture. Her hands reached out and caught Beca's as the brunette joined her, she quickly laced their fingers together after prying the bottle of wine from Beca's death grip.

“Hey, are you okay?” She asked softly, leaning closer to find Beca's eyes.

Beca squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I'm fine, Chlo.” 

“It's okay if you're not.” 

The brunette chuckled nervously, eager to change the subject. “It's okay, I promise.”

“Hey, you got this, beb.” Chloe whispered in her ear as Beca made her way past her and towards the doorbell. “It'll be fine, you'll see.”

Without hesitation, Beca punched the doorbell with the side of her fist and watched the knob intensely. Waiting for it to turn with bated breath. A part of her instantly regretted pressing the button without preparing herself first, but it was much too late now.

She felt the redhead beside her lean into her but she kept her gaze locked. Soon, a soft breath tickled the side of her neck and her ear.

She tilted herself away from it before turning to her.

“Why are you breathing in my ear-”

Chloe’s soft lips met hers in a gentle kiss, effectively interrupting her. She felt one of the redhead’s fingers trailing up her neck, beginning at the center of her collarbone and stopping just under her chin to hold her face up for just a second before the redhead pulled away, out of reach.

Beca watched her for just a second to catch her breath, perplexed in the very nature of her girlfriend. Full of seemingly endless support and love. She wonders sometimes where it all comes from.

“What was that for?” She smirked, blinking away the daze Chloe's kiss left behind. 

“Good luck.” Chloe whispered after slowly licking her lips.

“I think I'm gonna need a lot more luck than that for this.”

“Should've said that before you rang the doorbell, then. I could've given you a lot more luck in the car-”

“ **Just a second**!”

They both licked their lips, listening to the footsteps in the house grow closer.

“Be brave, Becs.” Chloe whispered. “If anything I should be the nervous wreck considered I'm the one meeting the family.”

“Shut up, she's coming.” She nervously muttered as she elbowed her.

The door swung open and there stood a woman Chloe would consider utterly beautiful.

She could definitely see the resemblance- they had almost the same eyes; kind, dark and electric, but it was safe to assume Beca got her nose and jawline from her father. Beca's mother’s nose was softer and she had a slightly rounder jaw. She was tiny, just like Beca, maybe even smaller and her hair was almost jet black, save for some wise grays at the sides. There were some subtle wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes but the years have been good to her. Chloe could just imagine the stunner she had to have been back in the days. Hell, who is she kidding, she's a stunner now.

For a second Chloe wondered how Beca would look in some 20 odd years. Suddenly, it was like she was glimpsing into the future, Beca by her side even decades from now. She realized that a life without Beca was unimaginable.

She realized that.. somehow, if by some odd chance the universe was on her side, she'd want to spend her life with Beca.

_Am I crazy?!_

She furrowed her brows, deep in thought. They'd only been officially dating for a couple months now. To even consider spending the rest of her life with Beca was.. crazy. Right? Or maybe not?  Still, she couldn't think about this now so she quickly stowed away the thought and put on her best smile.

A gasp escaped the woman’s thin lips and she grinned widely. “My baby!” She snatched Beca's hands and pulled her daughter into a tight hug that was happily returned, though less enthusiastically. “It wouldn't hurt to visit your mother a little more often, you know!” She gleefully winked at the redhead as she rubbed the brunette's back.

“I know, mama. I've just been really busy-”

“Oh, that's always your excuse! Come up with something new for once.” She pulled back to look at her and quickly reached up to pinch Beca's cheek. “Oh look at you, almost taller than me!”

Beca frowned. “Almost? Mom, I can literally see the top of your head-”

“Do you like lying to your mother like this?” She shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder if I even raised you.”

“I'm not lying though, like _literally_ I can see your gray roots peeking out right now.”

“Excuse me?!”

Chloe chuckled lightly, drawing the woman's precious attention. She quickly put on her most charming smile.

The woman smiled softly, “And who's this beautiful woman you brought with you, hun?”

“Oh, uhh..” Beca turned to Chloe nervously. “This is-”

The woman held up her hand to silence her daughter. “Wait a minute. Red hair, perfect smile, stunning blue eyes? Chloe? Oh-hoho, the legendary Chloe? I have heard a lot about you, little one!” She extended her arms towards the redhead and gestured her closer. “Come on in, sweetheart! Give me a hug!”

Chloe gladly floated into her arms, melting in her warm embrace and the thought of Beca talking to her mother about her.

“It's wonderful to finally meet you, ma'am.” She buried her nose in her hair and breathed in her cinnamon maple scent.

“Oh, I can say the same for you, _Chloe_. I have to say you're much prettier in person. Beca's shown me a few pictures of you two here and there and you look great in them but honestly they don't do you justice!”

Chloe caught Beca’s eyes just in time to see the flush rise in the brunettes cheeks. She soon felt her own face warming. She wondered what else Beca had told her, what words she used to describe her to her mother, if her face lit up when Beca talked about her.

“You’re much too kind, but I can say the same about you.” Chloe smiled warmly when the woman pulled back and softly pinched her nose.

The woman’s lips curled into a satisfied grin and she turned to Beca. “Oh, I like this one. She's sweet and very polite!”

Beca felt her heart skip a beat. She knew it. She knew they'd click. She felt her cheeks starting to hurt from smiling too much.

“You're only saying that because she's complimenting you.”

“Oh, hey wait a second young lady, where's your boyfriend?”

_Oops._

Beca watched Chloe's confused eyes widen in realization.

Not even five minutes in and she already messed up? How could she forget to tell her mother that she and Jesse were over? It's been months!

“Oh..” Beca hesitated.

_Confess._

_Tell her you broke up with him._

_Tell her you're gay._

_Tell her your girlfriend is the person now standing there with a forced smile_ _and hurt eyes._

_This is your chance to come out. To come clean. To not lie to your own mother._

Her mind screamed. Her palms were cold and slick. Her body was numb and unsteady. Were those Kill Bill sirens in the distance?

If she told her mother now, who knows what questions would be thrown at her in return? She wasn't ready, not truly. She lacked the energy and her anxiety was already through the roof.

What if she didn't take it well? What if they got into a fight? What if she told her new boyfriend? What if her new boyfriend was homophobic? What if her mother was homophobic?

No.

No, she had been raised by this woman, this woman who had never once spoken ill of anyone unless they had absolutely deserved it. Her mother had always taught her to love and respect everyone equally unless they gave her a reason not to.

But even knowing that her mother wouldn't object, she knew she couldn't do it. Not now with her mother's gleaming eyes so full of excitement. Not now with her mother's boyfriend waiting in the next room. Not now with the entire day ahead of them. Not yet. She wasn't **ready.** And she really didn't want to have this conversation.

Maybe she was being selfish but that didn't matter. What did was that her mother, in the moment, was happy, _that_ was her first priority. Chloe's delicate feelings would have to come in second. Plus, she was thinking about this dilemma for far too long anyways.

“Not here.” She forced out a nervous chuckle.

She could barely see Chloe's brows furrow in her blurring vision but it was enough to know she messed up.

_Oh it's going to be fun getting out of this one._

“Nevermind!” The woman waved her off, and led them through the house, taking each by the hand. “It's not important. What _is_ is that you are finally here and you can meet..” They made their way into the kitchen where a tall man stood, hunched over a cutting board. “Cal!”

Beca stood there, wide-eyed at the tall man as he nervously wiped his hands on his pink polka dot apron that was much too small for him (it probably belonged to her mother) before reaching out for a handshake. He put on a disarming smile and met her eyes. “It's very nice to finally meet you, Beca. I've heard a lot about you.”

She took his rough hand in hers and shook politely as his other hand came to cup it. She mirrored his gesture and smiled. “Likewise. Though, I barely just found out you existed a few weeks ago.”

He smiled. “Yeah, we've been taking it slow.”

She had to admit Cal was nothing short of handsome. He was quite built, not too big but she could tell he had some muscle in him. He almost had a beard, brown scruff with some salt to show the wisdom. Soft brown eyes under thick brows and a shaved head, about a quarter of an inch of tightly curled brown and gray hair. And the dimples. Oh man, the dimples. He was a lady killer, she was gay but even she could admit that. But there was something sweet about him that made her feel like she could trust him with her mother's heart.

His calloused hands slipped from Beca's to shake Chloe's. They made their acquaintances before awkwardly looking to Beca's mother for some kind of guidance on what to do next.

The woman smiled widely at everyone, a genuine shimmer in her eyes. “Cal is cooking! He's a fantastic cook, tell them, Cal.” She seemed nervous, Beca could tell. It was in the pitch of her voice, the fidgeting hands, the extra tight smile. Beca reached over and patted her mother's back gently in an attempt to calm her nerves. She assumed her efforts were appreciated when she heard the woman sigh softly.

“I'm no chef but boy, do I try.” His deep chuckle shook Beca's rib cage but she tried not to let its effect on her show. “I'm an amateur at best.”

“Oh, I'm sure you're great.” She reassured.

Her mother whispering in Chloe's ear quickly caught her attention.

“Beca, honey, I'm going to show Chloe around the house. You stay here and keep Cal company, okay?”

They turned and walked off before Beca could protest. Chloe not caring to give Beca another glance.

_Oh she's mad._ Beca sighed and turned her attention to the man who had already gone back to chopping. “She’s nervous.” She muttered loud enough for him to hear.

“Oh man, you haven't seen the worst of it. She _groomed_ my beard this morning.”

“This morning? So you spent the night?” She teased.

He hesitated, the knife frozen in time right before the downstroke. “Oh-”

“I'm kidding.” She saw his shoulders relax and chuckled to herself.

“She told me you were a clever one. Told me to watch out.” He grinned, somewhat mischievously as he resumed his task.

“Little ol' me? Oh no, I'm a doll, I promise.”

“I'm sure you are.”

“So, what's on the menu today?”

“Gram’s spicy rib eye steak. Family recipe.”

“Sounds delicious.” She breathed out, slipping out of her coat and rolling up her sleeves. “How can I help?”

“These herbs could use some mincing. Already washed them.”

“Of course.” She quickly rinsed her hands before taking over the chopping.

“Thank you for the help, by the way. Your mother, as great as she is, cannot cook to save her life.”

“Oh trust me, I know. I honestly don't know how I survived living with her as my primary source of food.”

They both chuckled wholeheartedly.

“Well you are pretty small, knowing her skills in the kitchen, you were most likely malnourished.”

“Oh, there is no doubt about it.”

 

* * *

 

“So this is Beca's old room! I'm not sure how you two will establish sleeping arrangements since we don't have a guest room but hopefully she will let you take the bed and she can sleep on the floor. If she doesn't, just let me know and I'll make her-”

“That's okay, ma'am-”

“Or I guess you two can share but it is pretty small after all. Actually come to think of it, I think I might have an air mattress in the garage. We can look for it in a bit.”

Chloe smiled warmly. “That's very kind of you ma'am, I can't tell you how much I appreciate being so welcomed in your home.”

“Anything for a friend of Beca’s, hun. And I want you to know you are always welcome in my home, if you and Beca ever hit a rough spot with rent or if you're short on cash for food you both can come to me okay? I think Beca is much too proud to ask for any help from me, she got that from her father. Anyways, I have a personal cook now so there's always going to be food here.”

Chloe locked eyes with her, genuinely touched by the kind gesture. “Thank you so much, I will keep that in mind.”

“Of course, honey.” The older woman smiled sweetly at her before hopping in surprise at the upbeat ringtone emitting from her back pocket. “So sorry, I should take this! Make yourself at home!” She yelled back as she rushed off.

Chloe glanced around the room curiously.

_Oh the things I can find here._  

It was a relatively small room, walls painted a soft blue, a twin sized bed in the corner on a humble metal frame, a sleek white desk across from it with little wear. She turned toward the closet, wondering what high school Beca would have in her wardrobe, but something else caught her attention instead.

A shelf, taller than herself, stood in the corner, filled with dozens upon dozens of CDs and cassettes packed neatly beside each other.

She floated closer instinctively, mesmerized by the rainbow of colors that painted each album. It wasn't until she could feel them beneath her fingertips that she realized they were arranged in alphabetical order.

Her eyes moved fast.

There were burned CDs too, set off to the side, with intricate and colorful designs drawn on them, some of blue and purple flames, others with swirls, hearts and stars.

Everything was there, from Tupac to the Tarzan movie soundtrack. And even..

_Country_?

“Dolly Parton?” Chloe muttered to herself in disbelief as she pulled the case off of the shelf.

“Got a problem with Dolly Parton?”

Chloe would be lying if she said she was hesitant to turn around and meet Beca's gaze.

“Not at all.. I would die for Dolly Parton.”

The brunette huffed out a breath and waited.

Chloe carefully placed the CD back to its previous place before closing her eyes, trying to figure out what the hell she wanted to say to Beca. She heard the door click shut and knew they were alone.

Beca had never felt so guilty in her life, watching her girlfriend's shoulders slump with disappointment.

“I'm sorry, Chloe.” The brunette whispered. “I'm sorry I didn't tell her about us, it's just that she looked so happy to see me-”

“Is that what you think this is about?” Chloe spun to finally face her, frowning. “You think I'm mad that you didn't tell her we’re dating?”

Beca hesitated, clearly confused.

“Beca, I'm mad that you didn't tell her you ended things with Jesse. And then, when she asked you, you- you lied!” Chloe hissed. “Why would you feel the need to lie like that?! I just don't understand!”

“Look, just-Shh!” Beca reached out, trying to quiet her girlfriend in case someone would hear them arguing. She shamefully shrunk a bit into herself when Chloe pulled out of her reach.

She knew she was in the wrong. She didn't even know why she said what she did, it just _happened_. Like a lot of things.

“I- I don't know. I didn't want this evening to be about me being gay, I wanted to meet Cal and I wanted you to meet my mom and.. I- I don't know, Chloe. I'm sorry.”

“Beca, you've got it wrong.” Chloe shook her head and took a deep breath to calm herself. “You don't have to tell her about us. I get that maybe you're not ready to come out to your mom and I don't want to push you into doing something you're not ready for. But please, just promise me you'll tell her that you and Jesse are over.”

“I will. I promise.” Beca's eyes were wide and genuine. Chloe knew that was all that needed to be said.

The redhead stepped past her and made her way to the bed to sit down. Beca stayed where she was, hands on her hips, too nervous to touch the flames that would blaze and burn her whenever Chloe was mad.

“Your mom.. She's very sweet.” Chloe spoke softly, picking at some lint on her jeans. “Makes me think of the things that made you into the grumpy little gremlin you are.”

Beca chuckled in relief. “Middle school.”

“Ah, of course.”

Beca tested the waters, slowly stepping in front of her, close enough to touch Chloe's face.

“Are we okay?”

Chloe looked up into her pleading eyes and smirked. “You haven't even made up for it yet. How could we be okay?”

“You trust me, don't you?” She cupped her face and leaned down, keeping an inch of warm air between their lips. “I'll make it up to you, you know I'm good for it.”

“Beca..” Chloe breathed against her lips, their noses brushing against each other. She clutched Beca’s shirt with both her fists.

“You're amazing, you know that?” Beca whispered.

“I've been told.”

“You're everything I could have ever hoped for and so much more.”

“Baby..” The redhead whimpered.

Beca adjusted herself to stand between the redheads legs and leaned a little closer. Her hands glided down to Chloe's neck, and to the neckline of her shirt. Her nimble fingers played with the material, teasing the skin underneath.

“Yes?” She leaned closer, their lips still not touching yet.

“I really, really..” Chloe licked her lips, staring deeply into Beca’s dark blue eyes. Then she stood abruptly and spoke normally. “Do not want to do this in your childhood bedroom.”

Beca dropped her hands from her face with her jaw slacked. “I can't believe you just did that to me.”

Chloe laughed cynically and walked out of the room without another glance.

 

* * *

 

“You should come over sometime, see the bees. They're very sweet, will sit on your hand like it's nothin’! Maybe I could give you two a few jars of my honey. It's the best honey in the world, I promise!” Cal grinned widely at the two. “I actually think Miranda has a jar here.” He turned to the woman. “Honey, where's the honey?” The man seemed a lot more relaxed now that he'd had a few glasses of merlot in him.

Beca's mother squinted, holding her flute of wine to her pursed lips. “Pantry? But I don't think there's much left, Cal, and I'm not sure I want to shar-”

He disappeared to the kitchen before she could finish.

“It is real good honey.” Miranda chuckled.

Beca smiled at her mother. “He seems real nice, mom.”

The older woman sighed deeply, gazing into the red liquid in her glass with a soft smile on her lips. “He is. He really is.” She set her glass on the table and leaned across the way with her palms flat. A goofy grin now adorning her lips. “Beca, do you feel it?”

“Feel what, mom?”

“The air. It's thicker.. It's full of love tonight.. I'm so very glad you came. Oh, I've missed you so much.”

Beca hesitated, chancing a glance at Chloe who was smiling sweetly at the older woman before she blamed her mother's wonderful mood on the merlot they brought. “I missed you too, mom.”

Cal returned a moment later with an almost empty jar and three spoons. “I don't want to raise the bar or anything like that but this will definitely _bee.._ Eh? Eh?” He bounced his brows playfully, almost making Miranda choke on her wine. “This will _bee_ the most delicious spoonful of honey you will ever put in your mouth.”

And that it was. Beca didn't exactly know how to describe the taste of honey other than, ‘sweet’ really. But she'd be lying if she said it didn't surpass her expectations. The spoonful rolled onto her tongue, without being too strong and bitter. It melted effortlessly, naturally, softly drowning her taste buds in pure bliss until… it was gone.

“Oh my god.” Beca whispered, staring in disbelief at her now clean spoon. She glided her tongue over smooth teeth, trying to find any remaining honey that could have been hiding in the gaps. “That's really good.”

“Right?” Cal smirked proudly.

“Okay! No more, you guys can get your own honey from Cal tomorrow at the farmer's market and stop eating mine!” Miranda quickly screwed the lid on the jar and sat it on her lap with a pout on her face.

“So Cal, is that short for Calvin or what?” Chloe asked.

“Actually, it's short for California.”

Beca choked on her wine. “I'm so sorry.” She scrambled for a napkin and blotted her face where the drink had splashed. “Wait, really?”

“I'm kidding. Yeah, it's Calvin.” He laughed. “Wow you actually fell for that.”

“No! It .. caught me off guard.” the brunette mumbled.

An hour or two later the sun was almost fully hidden under the horizon, their plates were empty, all somewhat pushed to the center of the table. Their bellies full and the bottle of wine was being passed around every so often.

“So, do you guys still do that singing thing?”

“Mom, we graduated? So, no we don't still do that.”

Cal perked up. “Oh, you guys sing?”

“Acapella! It's all done with our mouths!” Chloe beamed eagerly.

Cal sat up, interested. “Oh yeah? Like, beat boxing and that stuff right?”

“Exactly!” Chloe smiled. “Basically we have a group of people and each person..”

Beca felt her phone vibrate under her leg, she quickly glanced down to see Jesse’s stupid smile on her screen.

_Why in the world is he calling me_.

“Your boyfriend Jesse?” Her mother asked quietly, careful not to interrupt the conversation between Chloe and Cal.

Beca glanced up. “Ye- No. What?” She looked down at her phone again.

_Jesse can wait right?_

_Why would he call me? He has no reason to._

_Unless it was important_.

She caught Chloe's eyes and smiled apologetically.

Chloe bounced her brows in acknowledgement and threw back the last sip of her drink before returning her attention to Cal.

“I gotta take this.” She mumbled before sliding out of her chair, rushing through the kitchen and out into the backyard.

“Hello?”

“Beca! Um-”

“Jesse, I don't want to be rude but could you hurry up I'm doing something kinda important here.”

“Oh yeah, sure! Um, well okay I’ll jump right to it I guess. You know how I always wanted to score movies?”

“Jesse, dude. I'm sorry but I don't think this is a good time to talk about your career path-”

“I got a job offer.”

“Oh- shit. Congrats man-”

“It's in LA.”

“Oh..” Beca stumbled on what to say. “ Wh- Are you going to take it?”

There was hesitation on the line. “I already did.”

“That's great, Jess! W-when do you leave?”

“Tomorrow night.”

Beca froze.

“Becs?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, look I know it's super sudden I barely got the offer a few days ago-”

“What I'm- I'm not even worth a goodbye to you?”

“What do you think I'm calling you for?”

“What do I think- Jesse I think I deserve more than a fucking phone call! I'm not even in town right now, you're not even gonna let me hug you?! Aren't I worth that at least?! Are you kidding me right now?!”

“Oh. It's not a big deal. I didn't think-”

“Not a big deal? Are you kidding me?!”

“Beca, come on I didn't think.. with you a-”

“Didn’t think what? That I wanted that? That you were obligated? Well news flash yes you are, you're my friend, Jesse. One of my bests. And if you leave for LA without saying goodbye to me in person, then, well you're not the person I thought you were.” She ended the call before he could say another word and proceeded back into the house, a furrow now creasing her brows.

“What was that about?” Chloe whispered softly as Beca slumped to her seat beside her. Her mother was off in her own world giggling at whatever Cal was saying to her, she would have thought they were being mischievous if she didn't hear the words “cryptic chicken of the night” come out of Cal’s mouth.

“Jesse’s leaving for LA tomorrow for some job thing.”

“For how long?”

Beca shrugged, frowning at the redhead. “He made it seem like for.. forever?”

“What? Like, he's moving there permanently?”

“I think so, yeah."

“Without saying goodbye?”

“That's what I said.”

Chloe sat back in her chair, letting the words sink in. Jesse? Gone forever? Despite their differences, this was never something she had hoped for. She liked Jesse as a person, respected him, up until he said all those things to Beca when they broke up. But all that was over now. And for him to leave, with barely a two minute phone call? Was frankly.. insulting. She knew Beca felt the same.

She reached under the table to lace their fingers together. Beca’s hand was cold and a little clammy but she didn't care.

“Can't he visit us here? Just to say bye?”

Beca hesitated. “No, this.. this trip was for us, I'm not going to let-”

“Beca, he's leaving. We might not ever see him in person again. Don't you want to say goodbye? I know I do. Despite everything that's happened between us.”

“You wouldn't mind?”

“Of course I wouldn't, he's your friend.”

Beca smirked. “He's not your friend?”

“We were once. Now though?” The redhead quieted and swirled the deep red liquid in her flute, as if she was mulling over the idea of Jesse as her friend was such a foreign idea. “Not really.. But if things were different between us I'm sure we could have been.”

Beca paused again before nodding. “Thats fair. I'll see if he can visit tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

Cal had left just as the moon began to shine. He had kissed Beca’s mother on the forehead sweetly in the doorway, promising to have plenty of jars at his booth in the market the next day if they wanted to visit. The three women practically screamed their enthusiasm.

Miranda then led the two into the garage in search of the air mattress that Chloe would be sleeping on that night. They scattered, digging through shelves of tools, old empty fish tanks and half empty cans of paint.

“Now, I know it's in here somewhere!” Miranda sighed in frustration.

Chloe was brushing off the dust layered on a photo album when Beca reached from behind her to snatch it away.

“You're not allowed to look through this, Chloe. It's against the law.”

“Against the law?”

“Yeah, death penalty.”

Chloe’s mouth hung open in offense but there was a slight curve of amusement in the corner of her lips. “Beca.. please? Are there pictures of you in there?”

“Nope, there are pictures of none of your business in there.”

“I found it!” Miranda piped up from across the garage, now holding the air mattress under her arm. “Beca, why on Earth are you torturing her? She is a guest, if she wants to see your bare baby bottom then let her.”

“Yeah, Beca. I want to see your baby pics.” The redhead pouted playfully. Beca blushed, remembering the few times she had seen that look before. She shook herself out of it and frowned.

“Not to sound dramatic but I'd rather **die**.” She dropped the book back on the shelf and approached her mother to take the box from her. Then she turned back to Chloe. “Come on, Red. You pick that album up and I'll poke a hole in this mattress, I swear it.”

“You'll do no such thing! You poke a hole in that and you're going to the store to buy a new one.” Beca’s mom took Chloe by the arm and whispered to her as they followed Beca back inside. “I'll show you them tomorrow when she's not around.” She winked at Chloe who held a wide smile.

After setting up the mattress in the middle of Beca's room, Miranda retired for the night saying something about having to get up early to see Cal at the market. The girls promised her to get to sleep soon but who were they kidding, they could always just have coffee in the morning.

It was dark and Beca was tossing and turning in her squeaky little twin sized bed, trying to find a comfortable position that she was starting to think didn't exist.

“Beca?” Chloe whispered through the darkness.

“Hmm?”

“You're too far away.”

“This mattress is barely big enough for me, let alone both of us.”

Chloe sighed deeply. “This inflatable is, dummy.”

“I'm not sleeping on that lifeboat.”

“Oh, because that sorry excuse for a bed is so much better?”

Beca mumbled something unintelligible but the redhead soon heard shuffling. She felt her side of the mattress rise as Beca got in and soon felt the brunette’s arms wrapped around her waist.

“Hi.” She breathed out in Beca’s face. She could barely see Beca rolling her eyes in the darkness, but soon she saw the ghost of Beca’s signature smirk.

“Hi.” Beca leaned in closer so their noses were touching and closed her eyes. “How was your day?” She asked as though they hadn't just spent every minute of the past 24 hours together.

“Oh, it was alright, but there's this girl who's been driving me crazy all day.”

“I'm telling my mom you insulted her.” Beca flinched violently as Chloe poked her side. “Don't or I'll go back to my bed.”

All four of Chloe's limbs quickly wrapped around her, trapping her like a helpless tuna in a net. “Okay, I'm sorry don't leave me.”

“Goodnight, Red.” Beca breathed out in a soft chuckle.

“Kiss me, Beca.”

The brunette blinked away the sleepiness from her eyes and reached between them to cup Chloe's face. Her thumbs gently stroked her cheeks but she hesitated as her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. She could barely make out Chloe's wide eyes, eager but patient as always. And her full lips, shyly pursed. Then she leaned in slowly and when their lips finally touched, a gentle warmth radiated from her chest, reaching all the way to the very tips of her toes and the soft skin of her lips colliding with Chloe's heat.

“God, what I wouldn't do to not be in this room right now.” Beca whispered.

 

* * *

 

 The next morning Beca woke with a start. Faint music was playing from somewhere in the house and she was alone in bed. She was willing to bet she would find her girlfriend wherever the music would lead her so she got up, and quickly went to wash up.

 A few minutes later she wandered into the kitchen where her mother was dancing at the stove with a spatula in hand, humming to the tune. She then spotted Chloe sitting at the breakfast island, nodding her head to the music while simultaneously hunched over a book with an empty syrupy plate beside her.

She snuck over quietly without being noticed and discovered it was the photo album from the day before that Chloe was looking at. The redhead, still unaware of Beca's presence stopped bobbing her head and softly smiled at a picture, leaning so close to the page that she could probably smell it.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Beca spoke loudly, startling Chloe so much she almost fell out of her chair.

The redhead smiled at her bashfully, a rosy tint adorned her cheeks.

Miranda back glanced at her before returning to her cooking. “Oh, good morning, honey! Pancakes?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.” She sat down next to Chloe and propped her head in her hand. “You do realize I have to turn you in to the local authorities now?”

“You wouldn't want to cover for me? We can live a life of crime together.”

“I refuse to be an accessory.”

“You're so dramatic.” Chloe slid the book between them and pointed to the picture that she was looking at.

It was of Beca, she was only a few months old at the time, asleep in her mother's arms. Chloe was right to assume Miranda had been beautiful when she was younger, there was evidence of it right under her finger. The woman looked exhausted with dark circles under her eyes but still, she looked at Beca with a soft smile on her lips. Chloe could see the love in her eyes, she felt like she was there in the moment with them just by looking at the photo. But she did not express her feelings about this particular picture, she was far too tired to try to explain her over emotional thoughts.

“I like this picture.” She whispered closely.

Beca smiled softly and glanced at her mother's back, making sure she wasn’t paying attention to them.

Miranda was focused on her pancakes and her song so she didn't notice when Beca quickly pecked Chloe on the lips. The brunette leaned back on her arm and with her free hand, she gently pushed some stray hairs from Chloe's face and hooked it behind her ear. They smiled at each other, and when Beca dropped her hand, Chloe's quickly found it under the table. They interlocked their fingers, squeezing tightly before letting go just as Miranda turned back around to give Beca her breakfast.

The morning quickly passed since they had stayed at the market with Cal until well past noon,even going so far as to yell at passers by about the wonderful honey he was selling. By some miracle they actually hadn't sabotaged his business and he told them that it was one of his most profitable days. As thanks, he offered them each a free 12 oz. jar of his acacia honey. The girls were ecstatic.

Jesse arrived later in the evening. The sky was warm with the setting sun when Beca stepped out into the driveway to meet him. Chloe followed her out, though kept her distance to give them some privacy. Soon, Miranda stepped out and joined her on the porch.

Beca walked up to him slowly with her lips pursed and her hands fisted in her pockets.

“Hey, Beca.” He glanced up to wave at the two waiting on the porch but then quickly turned back to the tiny woman before him. She seemed smaller than usual, a little curled into herself, reserved and unsure of what to say.

He waited for her to speak. His flight was in an hour and he wanted to get to the airport soon, but for Beca, he waited.

Beca sighed deeply and shakily. “LA, huh?”

He smiled sadly at her and then nodded. “LA..”

When it was clear she didn't know what she was doing, he took the lead. He was always doing that when they were together, teaching her how to show her vulnerability, for a second it almost seemed like nothing had changed.

“I'm going to miss you, Beca.”

That seemed to have struck a sensitive chord because her frown deepened and her eyes were suddenly glistening.

“You suck, you know that? Why didn't you say anything earlier?! This is all too sudden!” Though her words were angry, her eyes were sad. He quickly enveloped her into a hug and soon he felt her tears seeping into his shirt.

“I didn't want to get my hopes up about it. And.. I don't know, Beca. Look, it doesn't even matter now but it’s happening. And I want to go.”

“I know you do. And I'd strangle you if you didn't. But I wish.. I wish-” She pulled back and stepped away from him to wipe her tears. “I wish you weren't so stupid.”

“I know.” He smiled again. “It’s okay though. We’ll Skype.”

“This is it then? You're gonna move across the country build a life there, make new friends.. marry a girl I know nothing about.”

“That's the plan.”

“Will I be invited to the wedding at least?”

Jesse’s smile was genuine and sweet. “Well, I gotta have a best man, Beca.”

She laughed loudly, still swiping her fingers across her cheek. “I'm holding you to that. But no strippers at the party, okay?”

“Of course. Can't have the wives worrying, right? And who needs strippers when the love of your life is waiting at home?”

Beca grinned. “Yeah..” she whispered.

“Speaking of the love of your life..” He muttered quietly as Chloe approached with her chin slightly raised. “Hey, Chloe.”

“Hey..” She stopped beside Beca and placed a hand on the small of her back to rub soothing circles. There was a moment of hesitation where Jesse didn't know what to say. He glanced at his feet, then to Beca, then back at his feet. He finally opened his mouth to say something when Chloe spoke. “Congrats on the job.”

“Thank you.. it means a lot. I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for something like this and now that it's happening, I don't know, it almost doesn't feel real.” He chuckled nervously.

Chloe offered him a small smile. “Well, we're both happy for you.” She then turned to Beca. “I'm going inside ok?”

Beca nodded. “Ok, I'll be there in a minute.”

Chloe hesitated for a second, but then quickly stepped forward to hug Jesse. Beca could tell he was surprised by the look he gave her over the redhead’s shoulder. She held on, waiting for him to relax and when he finally did, she spoke quietly. “Have a safe flight okay, Jess? And good luck.”

They pulled away to look at each other, still wrapped in each other's arms. His eyes were wide and glistening but he nodded. He murmured a quiet “Okay, thanks.” and when she went to let go, he held on and softly tugged her close again. “I know I don't have to say this but.. take care of her?”

She nodded with a serious look glinting in her eyes. “I will..”

“Yeah.. You've always done that better than I ever could.” He smiled sadly.

“..Goodbye, Jesse.” She squeezed his hands before turning and retreating back into the house.

“What was all that whispering about?”

Jesse’s eyes lingered on the door Chloe disappeared behind, it was still half open. “Take care of that one.. She loves you.” He grinned down at her. Beca could see the love in his eyes, different from what it usually was. He was content, sad but happy. He was ready to leave. Ready to move on with his life. The love in his eyes now was adoration. Respect. Pride. She was his best friend and she felt it in that moment.

And she admired him too. He was chasing his dreams, something she had only ever wished she could do. To leave Georgia and make it big in LA too. She couldn't help but feel a little stuck. It scared her a little bit, to know her friends were moving on to bigger and better things. She was proud but scared. Scared to be left behind.

“I love you, Beca.”

She nodded in understanding. He was ready to leave now. “I love you too, Jess.”

He ruffled her hair and stepped back to his car. “See you around, nerd.”

She waved at him as he slid into his car and stood there on the driveway long after he and the sun had disappeared.

 

* * *

 

Now the crickets, hidden under withered rose bushes and dead orange leaves chirped through the night. The stars lit up the midnight sky above a curious redhead who sat wrapped in a small blanket on an old tire swing that hung from a tall tree in the backyard. 

Beca's mother sat inside on the couch while the brunette finished putting away the freshly cleaned plates. The older woman sat quietly in the dark of the living room, the only light was from the one above the kitchen sink where Beca was now wiping down the counters. When she was done, she flipped the switch off and joined her mother. A minute passed before she realized what she was doing.

She was watching Chloe.

**They** were watching Chloe.

The redhead kicked the grass, pushing herself to spin if only by a little, her head tilted back to watch the sky.

Beca wanted to ask why in the world her mother had been watching the redhead through the glass door for this entire time but the older woman quietly spoke before she could get the words out.

“So, Jesse.. is leaving to LA today?”

“Yeah well, he should be almost there by now, I think..”

“And you only found out when?”

“.. Yesterday.”

Miranda hummed in curiosity.

Beca knew where this conversation was going. She could feel the nerves bubbling in her chest, and the heat on her cheeks. Her mother knew no boyfriend would ever pull that kind of stunt in a healthy relationship.

“Mama, about Jesse..” She had trouble swallowing her nerves. Maybe she was having a stroke.

The woman finally took her gentle eyes off of Chloe to softly regard her. “You broke up with him.”

Beca broke eye contact, shameful and barely able to admit she had lied to her mother. “Yeah.” She whispered painfully.

“When?”

“A while back..”

“And this Chloe?”

Beca didn't have the voice to speak. Her throat went tight.

The woman nodded at her silence and resumed watching the redhead in the distance, she smiled softly. “You always do seem to find the sweetest ones. The ones who love the most.. And you deserve it. God knows you do after all you've been through.”

Beca's lips parted in confusion. Suddenly her heart skipped a beat and she felt her face flush. “Mom-” Her mother's arm snaked around her shoulders to pull the brunette close.

“You must think I'm a fool.” The woman chuckled lightly.

“I don't, Mom. I don't.”

“Oh please, you think I don't see the way you hang on every word she says? The way you're _drawn_ to her.. Hah! You should've seen how angry she looked when you took that phone call. And she was wringing her hands the whole time you were talking to that boy. She trusts you but she's the jealous type, and don't expect her to tell you that. I have seen my fair share of young love, trust me, it's not something you can miss if you're paying attention. And I pay attention.”

Beca’s cheeks burned sheepishly. “So you've been watching?”

“Of course I have, dummy.”

“And what do you think?”

“Of what?” There was a slight frown on her thin lips.

Beca hesitated. “All of it? Me and.. and _her_.”

“Sweetheart,” Her mother whispered closely, rubbing her arm comfortingly. “You are my entire life, and you deserve all of the love the world has to offer.” Beca sniffled, nuzzling into her mother's shoulder and wrapping her arms around the older woman's waist. “If you find that you feel the most loved in the arms of a woman.. then I pray you fight for it. Do you hear me?” Beca nodded through watery eyes. “Fight for it. And I promise you, I will always..” She urged Beca to look at her and smiled when their eyes met. “I will always be by your side.”

Beca couldn't stop her lips from turning into a frown no matter how utterly relieved she was to hear those words. Tears trickled down her cheeks and her mother quickly whisked them away with light fingers. “I love you, mom.” She muttered shakily.

“And I love you, my sweet, sweet baby girl.” With that, the older woman pulled her in and softly kissed her forehead before untangling their arms and standing. “Goodnight, don't stay up too late, okay? Cal is coming over for breakfast tomorrow before you leave.”

“Wait, mom.” Beca stood quickly and gently held Miranda's hands in her own. “I'm really happy for you. I mean Cal, he seems.. I can tell he really cares about you. And you,” Her quiet voice shook a little so she cleared her throat awkwardly. “You deserve it too. You deserve the world.”

The woman smiled softly and laid her palms on Beca’s damp cheek.

“Thank you, baby.” She glanced over at Chloe outside again and chuckled quietly. “Remember what I told you yesterday? About the air being thicker? I think she's waiting for you. Best get to it. Never leave a woman waiting, honey. Advice from a divorced woman.”

Beca nodded again, wiping her nose on her wrist.

“Beca?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you love her?”

Beca smiled softly. “I think you know the answer to that already.”

“I do but I just want to hear you say it.”

Beca took a breath and looked deeply into her mother's glistening eyes. “I love her.”

“And she loves you?”

“Feels like it.”

“Make sure you tell her. And remember to cherish her..” Miranda nodded curtly to herself. “I am so happy for you, sweetheart.. Goodnight.”

Her mother walked off and Beca listened to the door to her bedroom shut before finally taking a deep breath that she so desperately needed. She glanced up, only to find Chloe in the same spot as before, sitting on the tire swing in the backyard, completely mesmerized by the stars. She thought it was about time she joined her.

Chloe ignored the aching in her neck, she wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the night sky but it didn't matter, nothing mattered except for how in that moment she had felt completely content.

She finally pried her eyes from the moon when Beca slipped out into the night.

Chloe couldn't help the smile on her face when seeing her small figure trying much too hard to completely shut the sliding glass door. But confusion soon overtook her as she watched the brunette wipe at her eyes. She heard a deep shaky breath from the distance and panic ensued. Beca was crying?

She jumped to her feet and made quick work of the distance between them. “Hey, hey, hey.” she wrapped Beca in her arms, enveloping them both in the blanket for comforting squeeze before pulling back and cupping her face in her hands. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Beca said quietly letting Chloe's eyes scan her face. "I'm just.. having trouble breathing.”

“What? Like an asthma attack? A panic attack?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. It just-.. must be the air.” Beca smiled through her tears. She didn’t quite want to tell Chloe how she felt yet. There was a part of her that wanted the moment to be special when she first said ‘I love you’ to her. So, she held it in, no matter how hard it felt, she held it in. Chloe’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion but her worrying ceased when Beca leaned up to kiss her. “Let's go to bed, babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay guys soo since it took me like two years to get this chapter done, i'm gonna be honest and say i have no idea when i'll get the next chapter done. i'm not gonna lie to u and say that im back with new chapters for every week cause i don't and u guys deserve better than that. there's only a few chapters left in this fic and i am determined to get them done. i just don't know the timeline for that lol. but i can say with confidence that i won't take another two years to upload lol so thats something right? thanks for reading guys <3
> 
> ps. tumblr user i-am-a-crepe made that AMAZING cover photo manip for this fic and i will be forever grateful for her for it <3 LOOK AT IT!!!!!!! holy SHIT!!! Hit that link and go reblog it from her!! show her some love!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to pop these out as consistently as possible. Thanks for reading guys. Come follow me on Tumblr (passion-fruite) we could talk about Bechloe like all the time.


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